Most of Your Weird Germ-Avoidance Habits Don’t Actually Work


Kicking the toilet handle to flush, holding your breath when someone sneezes—turns out, scientists say we might be going about germ avoidance all wrong.


You may have felt as grossed out as we did by that recent study from Weill Cornell Medical College, which revealed just how much bacteria fills New York City’s subway system. Over 18 months, geneticist Christopher Mason and his team swabbed handrails, seats, kiosks, and turnstiles, uncovering an invisible ecosystem of more than 15,000 types of microbial life. Disgusting, right?


Surprisingly, the study found that most of these subway bacteria are harmless or even beneficial to humans. Many of these “good” bacteria originate from food, help remove toxins, or outcompete disease-causing pathogens. “More [bacterial] diversity generally means a safer environment,” Mason explains.


Yet, like many, we at CityLab can’t help but adopt dubious germ-avoidance habits, especially during cold and flu season. While none of us has resorted to wearing masks in the office, some still flush public toilets with their feet, use tissues to open doors, or douse themselves in antibacterial gel. The funny part? None of us can say for sure if these habits actually protect us.