For God knows what reason, you people don't like washing your hands. Maybe you don't feel you have 20 seconds to take away from your action packed day to devote to splashing around in a sink. Maybe you are a Dark Age peasant transported to our dimension through a wrinkle in time. Maybe you think there is something about your hands that makes them inherently cleaner than everyone else's. "Hey," you say, "I'm washing my hands right now!" "Hey," I say, "DON'T FUCKING LIE TO ME."

A recent "observational study" found that 85 percent of adults washed their hands after doing their business. Not too bad! But not as good as the 96 percent of adults who told phone interviewers that they "always" wash their hands.

93% of women wash their hands after using public restrooms versus just 77% of men.

Turns out Lady Macbeth was right. A study suggests washing hands not only helps cleanse your conscience, but helps you convince yourself you made the right choice, because it "reduces the influence of past behaviors" in your head. [SciAm, pic]