This argument has always seemed suspicious to me from a rationality perspective. Do you take other steps to deliberately expose yourself to pathogens (e.g. playing in the mud, or deliberately dropping your food on the floor before eating it, or licking unsanitary surfaces, or seeking out coughing/sneezing people to be close to)? If not, why not? Do you have some reason to believe the current level of exposure you get from not washing your hands is optimal (or at least close-to-optimal) from the perspective of improving your immune system through exposure?
The above paragraph probably sounds uncharitable. I can think of ways the “improve your immune system” argument might be true. There is an argument that early-life exposure to germs might strengthen the immune system and decrease allergies (the “hygiene hypothesis”). But it does seem to prove too much, especially given the vast and obvious gains in public health through hygiene and sanitation over the past 150 years. And it should seem especially suspicious when you’re (a) going against a very strong expert consensus, in favour of (b) being lazy about something everyone kinda wishes they could just be lazy about.
It doesn’t have to be optimal, the question is whether it is better. Is it better to wash all the time (as described in the post), like most people (let’s say before eating and after using the bathroom), once-twice a day, or not at all (hands only washed during showers)? I’m not quite sure that “all the time” is better (it could be, but I’m not sure).
There is clearly a phenomenon of adapting to pathogens. I’ve heard it firsthand from at least two people who worked in less sanitary areas (South-American slums and Center-African countryside). There is no doubt to me that they were better off going through a bit of sickness in order to avoid the overheads of constant hand-washing.
I’ve also never heard heard about the gains in public hygiene due to hand washing in the general public (I mean that literally, I’m pointedly not saying they don’t exist!). In a medical context, sure, the last thing we want is medical personnel spreading pathogens to vulnerable people.
The first defense against outside germs is our microbiome. I do take steps like not using shampoo to avoid damaging my microbiome.
If the microbiome on your hand is already full of bacteria who live in happy coexistince with you it’s harder for new pathogens to attack you then if you regularly kill the protective layer of the microbiome.
This argument has always seemed suspicious to me from a rationality perspective. Do you take other steps to deliberately expose yourself to pathogens (e.g. playing in the mud, or deliberately dropping your food on the floor before eating it, or licking unsanitary surfaces, or seeking out coughing/sneezing people to be close to)? If not, why not? Do you have some reason to believe the current level of exposure you get from not washing your hands is optimal (or at least close-to-optimal) from the perspective of improving your immune system through exposure?
The above paragraph probably sounds uncharitable. I can think of ways the “improve your immune system” argument might be true. There is an argument that early-life exposure to germs might strengthen the immune system and decrease allergies (the “hygiene hypothesis”). But it does seem to prove too much, especially given the vast and obvious gains in public health through hygiene and sanitation over the past 150 years. And it should seem especially suspicious when you’re (a) going against a very strong expert consensus, in favour of (b) being lazy about something everyone kinda wishes they could just be lazy about.
It doesn’t have to be optimal, the question is whether it is better. Is it better to wash all the time (as described in the post), like most people (let’s say before eating and after using the bathroom), once-twice a day, or not at all (hands only washed during showers)? I’m not quite sure that “all the time” is better (it could be, but I’m not sure).
There is clearly a phenomenon of adapting to pathogens. I’ve heard it firsthand from at least two people who worked in less sanitary areas (South-American slums and Center-African countryside). There is no doubt to me that they were better off going through a bit of sickness in order to avoid the overheads of constant hand-washing.
I’ve also never heard heard about the gains in public hygiene due to hand washing in the general public (I mean that literally, I’m pointedly not saying they don’t exist!). In a medical context, sure, the last thing we want is medical personnel spreading pathogens to vulnerable people.
Let me steelman the argument.
The first defense against outside germs is our microbiome. I do take steps like not using shampoo to avoid damaging my microbiome.
If the microbiome on your hand is already full of bacteria who live in happy coexistince with you it’s harder for new pathogens to attack you then if you regularly kill the protective layer of the microbiome.
Beneficial effects of plant-associated microbes on indoor microbiomes and human health argues that if you put plants which aren’t sterile into hospitals that has benefitial health effects because it results in a better ratio of harmless/harmful bacteria even if it raises the total amount of bacteria.