Talk About A Strong Metaphor!

Feeling bad about the chips you just ate? A study in the journal Science says the simple act of washing your hands alleviates guilt.

Having regrets about the monster burrito you just ate or the expensive flat-screen you bought? No sense in dwelling on the past or beating yourself up. Just wash your hands of it — literally.

A University of Michigan study published in the May 7 issue of Science suggests that washing your hands “wipes the slate clean,” by removing doubts about recent choices. According to the study’s author, psychologist Spike W. S. Lee, “the results show that as much as washing can cleanse us from traces of past immoral behavior, it can also cleanse us from traces of past decisions, reducing the need to justify them.”