Feel happier in 20 seconds

By Paige Fowler

Rinse away a bad mood: washing your hands could make you more optimistic, according to new German research.

After performing a nearly impossible task, people who scrubbed up had a brighter outlook on completing future tasks than those who skipped the soap.

Credit a theory known as embodied cognition: it’s the idea that higher mental processes (like decision making and optimism) are linked to motor processes (like hand washing), explains study author Dr Kai Kaspar. On an unconscious level, the suds could help you think you’re cleaning off bad luck, making you more confident in what you’re about to do.

The catch: it doesn’t always work. Thinking you’re washing away failure could eliminate the need to make an extra effort—which may explain why the people who soaped up actually scored lower on the second test than those with dirty hands, says Dr Kaspar.

In the end, you’re not going to wash your hands solely to brighten your day, but this study is a cool reminder to actually do it. (And hey, you never know—it could work!) Just make sure to lather up for at least 20 seconds, which is the minimum amount of time required to rid your hands of harmful germs and viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And focus on your fingertips—that’s where most of the germs reside.

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