Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that the best way to get people to wash their hands is to guilt them into it.
The researchers investigated the handwashing habits of more than 250,000 people who used public restrooms, finding that about one-third of men and two-thirds of women wash their hands with soap.
In an effort to determine the message that would most effectively increase these percentages, the team of researchers projected slogans about public health on LCD screens outside bathroom entrances at rest stops. The messages varied from friendly reminders such as "Water doesn't kill germs, soap does" to disgust-evoking admonishments like "Soap it off or eat it later."
The most effective approach, however, involved a message that researchers believed generated a sense of self consciousness and shame: "Is the person next to you washing with soap?" Overall, this approach led to an 11 and 12 percent increase in soap use from female and male restroom-users, respectively. Researchers suggested that the finding shows that social acceptance is one of the strongest influences on behavior.
-compiled by Kate Singleton
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