Feeling guilty about that carmel macchiato you just gulped down, having doubts about the job you just interviewed for, or feeling a little seasonal depression? Well, just jump into the shower or suds up your bath and clean your body.
Yes that’s right, cleansing your body can cleanse your mind. US News Health has reported that researchers at the University of Michigan revealed that hand-washing and bathing help people rid themselves of emotional baggage.
Their findings were a review of past studies and were published in Current Directions in Psychological Science. An interesting link between cleanliness and our minds is that in past studies people judged others more harshly for moral wrongs when they were in a messy room or exposed to a bad odor.
Just remember, there is always two sides to every coin, and people who think they are clean (key word think) also tend to believe they are morally superior to others. As we all might have experienced, this is not always the case.
Another query to ponder, what about those of us who are constantly washing our hands or worrying about germs. Well, a different study revealed that people feel less guilty when they think of something immoral they had done if they used an antiseptic wipe.
Researcher Spike W.S. Lee. points out, “Cleansing is about the removal of residues. [It also] removes the residual influence of earlier experience.” That last remark applies to both happy memories and bad ones the researchers purport.
What are your thoughts on the researcher’s findings? Does cleansing your body help you also cleanse your mind?