What Propels People To Wash Hands After Visiting The Loo?

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You must have the habit of washing your hands after the loo visit. Apart from the hygienic consciousness, have you ever thought what propels you into this activity? People are more likely to wash their hands after using the toilet when they have been shamed into it.

Hand washing after the loo visit is the cheapest way of controlling disease. But less than one third of men and two thirds of women wash their hands with soap after going to the toilet. There were intriguing differences in behaviour by gender, with women responding to reminders, while men tended to react best to messages that invoked disgust, for example "soap it off or eat it later".

A variety of messages, ranging from "Water doesn"t kill germs, soap does" to "Don"t be a dirty soap dodger", were flashed onto LED screens at the entrance of the toilets. The effects of the messages propel many vistors to wash their hands. "Is the person next to you washing with soap?" was best overall, showing how people respond to whether they thought others were watching.

The research by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, published in the American Journal of Public Health. Robert Aunger led this study. They looked at responses to electronic hygiene messages displayed in UK service station toilets.