Please Wash Your Hands

Jenna Daudpota Arts & Entertainment editor, The Pawprint

To many people, it goes without saying everyone should wash their hands every day: after they go to the toilet, before they cook food, etc.

But not everyone does.

According to a study in 2015, only 26.2% of people washed their hands after going to the bathroom. In third world countries, only 27% of the population even has access to soap and facilities to wash their hands. WHO estimated that 3 billion people don’t have those in their home.

In first world countries, studies show that only 50% of people wash their hands after going to the bathroom.

But why do so few people wash their hands? One theory is that people don’t wash their hands due to delusional optimism. Delusional optimists think that bad things only happen to other people – not to them.

This phenomenon is observed in people from every socioeconomic background and even in other species, like rats. Studies show that people who had a more realistic outlook on life were more likely to wash their hands.