In 1994, on his second trip to the United States, Derreck Kayongo was staying at a Philadelphia hotel when he noticed that every bar of soap he’d use in the morning was replaced magically with a new one by the time he returned that evening. “I asked the concierge what they did with the partially used bars, and he actually told me they threw them away!” Though Kayongo grew up in a well-to-do family — his father, in fact, owned a soap factory in Uganda — the 42-year-old Ugandan native ended up living as a refugee with his family in Kenya after Idi Amin came to power. “That was the ... Read More
Cleanliness Cues Activate Conservative Attitudes
April 4, 2011 • By • Leave a Comment
They may not know it, but Republicans have a secret weapon in their attempt to convince Americans of the correctness of their cause: hand sanitizers. Such commonplace reminders of the concept of physical cleanliness can influence moral and political attitudes. That’s the conclusion of Cornell University psychologists Erik Helzer and David Pizarro, who report this effect is particularly strong in the arena of sexual morality. Their study, just published in the journal Psychological Science, brings together three interesting threads of recent psychological research: 1. The notion that ... Read More
Cleanliness is Next to Self-Righteousness
May 6, 2010 • By • 5 Comments
As health educators never tire of reminding us, washing our hands helps stop the spread of disease. But a growing body of research suggests this routine activity has deep metaphorical connotations, and triggers surprising psychological side effects. Two newly published studies look at this phenomenon from different perspectives. One links physical cleanliness with harsh moral judgments, while the other suggests hand-washing impacts the way we view past decisions on matters unrelated to ethics or values. The connection between physical cleanliness and moral purity dates back at least as ... Read More
