How long you take in the shower says a lot about you

If you are a fan of a long shower or bath where you light some candles, soak in the suds, and let your mind wander, then you may be facing a big obstacle in life. The way you shower, from the body part you wash first, to your shower habits, can reveal a lot about your personality and the way you are feeling.

This article is not about cleanliness, but more about your mental state: psychologists find that both the length and temperature of your shower can have effects similar to those of social interactions.

Long shower lovers could be lonely

LifeHack reports that the longer and hotter your shower, the more likely you are to be feeling lonely. The publication cites psychologist John Bargh, a researcher at Yale University:

The lonelier a person is, the more showers and baths they take, the hotter the water, and the longer they stay under the water.

What is loneliness?

So, could this be you? It might be helpful to define loneliness. Obviously, this is something that looks different on everyone, but the Psychology Department at the University of Chicago defines it as ‘the distress that results from discrepancies between ideal and perceived social relationships’.

In essence, people feel lonely when they are disappointed by the social interactions they have, which fail to give them the sense of belonging that they are looking for.

The longer you stay under the water, the longer you take to stew in your own worries and mull over everything and anything that is concerning you. This leads to overthinking, something many of us try to avoid because we know it plays havoc with our mental health.

Read more:Tired in the morning? It could be your shower habits

How does the heat of the water help?

A study published in the National Library of Medecine, The Substitutability of Physical and Social Warmth in Daily Life, found that feelings of social warmth or coldness can be mimicked with physical temperature change.

So, a hot shower can make you feel a bit like a hug might.LifeHack gives a practical tip for the next time you go to dinner and want to feel that snuggle-induced serenity: wear a cozy jumper or hold a warm drink in your hands.

Short showers

It follows, really, that people who tend to take a dash-in-dash-out approach to showering are often happier. It’s logical, really: if you are busy with friends, work, hobbies, sports, a partner - or partners - then you spend less time in the bathroom.

That being said, if you are the sort of person who is brushing their teeth while speaking on the phone on loudspeaker as they scrub the runaway shampoo from their eyes, maybe you need to slow down a little. Stress can have a serious impact on your health, and nothing is more important than your well-being.

As for the showering, a happy medium is probably the best way to go: between 5 to 10 minutes is about right.

Read more:

⋙ Do you store your perfume in the bathroom? Here's why you shouldn't

⋙ Pelvic health: Here's why you should never pee in the shower

Sources used:

LifeHack: How Long Do You Take In The Shower? It Might Reveal Your Loneliness

National Library of Medecine: The Substitutability of Physical and Social Warmth in Daily Life