Washing actually helps reduce anxiety related to stressful events.
- Anxiety affects approximately 15-20% of the population at some point in their lives.
- Anxiety disorders affect twice as many women as men.
We know: the shower and the bath have many benefits for the body and the mind. According to scientists from the Free University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), the very fact of washing and feeling clean is actually good for our morale. In order to reach this conclusion, the researchers carried out a study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
3,066 attendees
Before starting the work, the authors had put forward a hypothesis. “Inspired by ethological observations (i.e. behaviors of animal species in their natural environment) of automatic cleaning in species, we suggest that cleaning mitigates the effects of stressful events”, can we read in the searches.
To verify this hypothesis, the team conducted behavioral and psychophysiological experiments with 3,066 people. All participants watched videos showing stressful situations, such as a terrified woman before doing a bungee jump. They then watched a video in which an adult was washing their hands, drawing a picture or cooking.
“Actual cleaning improved cardiovascular reactivity”
According to the results, volunteers who watched a handwashing video reported a reduction in their anxiety. “Actual cleansing improved cardiovascular reactivity in a high-stress setting, providing the first physiological evidence for the attenuation of stress-related effects by cleansing,” the researchers said.
According to them, it is not the well-being felt in the shower or water at the right temperature that helps to reduce stress, but the cleaning itself and the fact of being clean. They suggest that washing away tensions, as it helps to get rid of residue and dirt, and in short, to separate past stressful experiences from the present.
