Science Says That Washing the Dishes Can Help You Unwind

Getty/Dougal Waters
After a long day of chasing after the kids, dashing between meetings at work, or running a million errands, the last thing you probably want to do is wash the dishes (that dinner you just slaved over disappeared so darn quickly .... sigh.) But standing over a sudsy sink might just be the best thing you can do, according to a study in the journal Mindfulness, reports the Wall Street Journal. Apparently, if you do it just right, it'll give your exhausted brain time to detox.

Here's how it works: Researchers from Florida State University did an experiment with 51 students to explore the power of meditation while washing dishes. They encouraged half of the students to focus on the sensory part of the experience (smelling the detergent, feeling the hot water, noticing the shape of the dishes). The other half just read a passage about the importance of getting the job done. 

Afterwards, students that practiced "mindful dishwashing" reported a decrease in nervousness by 27 percent and an increase in mental inspiration by 25 percent — and the control group didn't benefit whatsoever. 

Hey, if we have to do this chore no matter what, we might as well benefit from it, right? We think we'll be very aware of the squishiness of our sponge and the squeakiness of our gloves tonight.

[via Today

From: Good Housekeeping US


By Lauren Smith

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