A recent article in Psychology Today questions whether our obsession with cleanliness can actually be backfiring in unsafe behavior. Furthermore, we may be more susceptible to infections and illnesses that we're trying to prevent. Sound crazy?
An excerpt from the article:
Because we seem never to feel clean enough, all our scrubbing and scouring only stokes the anxiety it is meant to allay. But it may be sabotaging our physical health as well. Just as overprotecting children can keep them from developing coping skills, sanitizing ourselves may be undermining the immune system, which requires germs to keep it viable. What's more, overuse and misuse of cleaning products directly expose us to toxic chemicals. And, quite possibly, they even encourage what germophobes fear most—the rise of resistant "superbugs."
Do you agree that we may be overly germaphobic?