Washed Up: Women wash hands more than men

Restroom signs that advise people to wash their hands work on women, but not on men, according to a new study. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that the signs urging lavatory visitors to “wash your hands” caused women to even use soap and water. Men, however, ignored the signs and did not change their hand-washing behavior.

Lead author H. Durell Johnson, Ph.D., sent male and female observers into public bathrooms to secretly note the hygiene habits of restroom users. Based on observations of 95 women and 80 men, they found that with or without the sign, more women wash their hands than men.

The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in Baltimore, Maryland.