Cleanliness Linked to Godliness

Cleanliness may really be next to godliness: Scientists say those who live in clean homes are more moral than messy people.

A few sprays of citrus-scented Windex make people unconsciously fairer and more generous than those in normal-smelling rooms, says research published in the journal Psychological Science.

How did the researchers at Northwestern University and Utah’s Brigham Young University possibly measure that? First participants found $12 and then had to decide how much of it to either keep or return to their partners, who were in another room,.

Subjects in the Windexed rooms were less likely to exploit the trust of their partners, returning nearly twice as much as those in the unscented room. People in the "normal" room handed over $2.81, while people in the clean room parted with $5.33.

A second experiment measured whether clean scents would encourage charitable behavior.

Subjects rated their interest in volunteering and/or donating funds to Habitat for Humanity. Volunteers in the lemony-fresh room were significantly more interested in volunteering than those in a normal room. On a seven-point scale, the Windexed room averaged 4.21, while the unscented room came in at 3.29.

Meanwhile, 22 per cent of those in the scented room were willing to donate money, compared to only six per cent of those in an unscented room. (Wondering if those in the scented room smelled something was afoot and changed their behavior? Followup questions confirmed that participants in the clean room didn't notice anything unusual in the air.)

"Our study shows that morality and cleanliness can go hand in hand," study co-author Adam Galinsky said in a press release. "Researchers have known for years that scents play an active role in reviving positive or negative experiences. Now, our research can offer more insight into the links between people's charitable actions and their surroundings."

If only they could figure out how to bottle the smell of success — then we'd all have more money to give.

Photo courtesy rubberglovelover via Flickr.