The Weird Reason Handwashing Your Dishes Can Make You A Happier Person
Handwashing the dishes isn't just making your kitchen clean.
While some people may become jealous of you for your looks, your job, or even your relationship, sometimes, they may actually envy the way you do your household chores.
For me, I'm really good at washing dishes. When I wash the dishes, there's never any old food residue clinging to my pristine dishes, nor are there any remnants of soap on my glasses. Sometimes when I'm feeling especially hardcore, I use scalding hot water because that's how it's done in a dishwasher.
I also put my dishes on the rack in descending order by size. I'm not a neat freak and I don't have OCD, I'm just really good at doing dishes and am a tiny bit annoying about it.
So I felt completely validated when I learned that washing dishes can actually be good for you when performed in a mindful way.
Mindfulness is defined as "paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally."
So, in order to wash dishes in a mindful way, you need to be thoroughly present in the experience, noticing the warmth of the water on your skin, the smell of the dishwashing detergent, and the feel of the dishes in your hand.
Mindful meditation is usually an exercise in itself, but routine daily activities can also be a chance to practice. You can practice mindfulness anywhere you go, particularly when you put on your latex gloves, pull out your sponge, and get to work on the piling dishes in the sink.
Why Washing Dishes Is Therapeutic
A study conducted by researchers at Florida State University in Tallahassee, and published in the journal "Mindfulness," found that washing dishes mindfully can be therapeutic, and that the activity had the ability to increase feelings of well-being and lessen feelings of nervousness and anxiety.
Fifty-one students participated in the "Washing Dishes to Wash the Dishes: Brief Instruction in an Informal Mindful Practice" study, in which half were given a 230-word passage that focused on the sensory experience of dishwashing.
The others (who acted as controls) read a similar-length passage about proper dishwashing techniques.
The participants gave their interpretations of the readings vocally and in writing, and then each washed 19 already-clean dishes.
The findings were that "mindful" dishwashers showed a greater state of mindfulness, increases in inspiration and creativity, decreases in nervousness, and the control group showed no change.
Dishwashing isn't the only activity in which you can practice mindfulness — any routine chore like doing laundry, vacuuming, raking leaves, or picking lemons can be an opportunity to slow down and be present.
Of course, this is but one study with a small sample group, so more research will have to be done to make this finding more concrete. But as for now, it is possible that washing dishes is therapeutic when practiced with mindfulness.
Mindfulness isn't about where you are or what you're doing, it's about how you do it and how you think about it.
And while there are many different activities that could help you practice mindfulness, everyone you know should just leave the dishes to you.
Christine Schoenwald is a writer and performer. She's had articles in The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Bustle, Medium, and Woman's Day.