Interesting, if not relevant, tangent: Modern LDS missionaries are expected to bathe daily, without fail, when they are abroad proselytizing. I have heard anecdotal accounts of this causing some friction with their hosts due to the custom of daily bathing being wasteful/abnormal and/or a hardship on the local water supply.
This article makes me wonder if this psychological effect has been known by various religious groups for quite some time. From old-school Judeo-Christian "laws of cleanliness" to the more modern LDS church, keeping clean may be about self-righteousness more than sanitation.
This article makes me wonder if this psychological effect has been known by various religious groups for quite some time. From old-school Judeo-Christian "laws of cleanliness" to the more modern LDS church, keeping clean may be about self-righteousness more than sanitation.
Very interesting experiments, nonetheless.