Wash Your Hands of That Decision

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05/07/2010

May. 07, 2010

Wash Your Hands of That Decision

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A study finds that people making a tough decision may find some solace in washing their hands. Writing this week in the journal Science, researchers report that having test subjects wash their hands after making a difficult decision could reduce 'cognitive dissonance,' the uneasiness that comes from holding two opposing ideas in your mind at the same time. Test subjects who washed their hands after the decision-making test appeared to be more at ease with the choices made during the experiment. We'll talk about the finding, and what it tells us about the human mind.

Produced by Christopher Intagliata, Associate Senior Producer

Guests

Spike Lee
Graduate Student

Department of Psychology

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan

May. 07, 2010