From the Guidelines
People touch their faces approximately 16 to 23 times per hour, which can vary significantly between individuals. This frequent face-touching is largely unconscious behavior, with people often touching their eyes, nose, mouth, and other facial areas without realizing it. Reducing face-touching is recommended, especially during cold and flu season or disease outbreaks, as it can transfer germs from contaminated surfaces directly to mucous membranes where infections can begin. Some key points to consider in reducing face-touching include:
- Keeping hands busy with stress balls or other objects
- Using reminders or apps designed to increase awareness
- Wearing gloves as a physical deterrent
- Practicing regular hand washing This behavior is difficult to change because it's often deeply ingrained and serves various purposes including emotional regulation, grooming, and relieving discomfort. Being mindful of this habit is the first step toward reducing it, which can significantly decrease the risk of transmitting infectious diseases 1. It's essential to prioritize reducing face-touching to minimize the transmission of infectious diseases, as hand hygiene is a critical aspect of infection control in healthcare settings 1. Additionally, using alcohol-based hand rubs containing emollients can help reduce skin irritation and improve hand hygiene adherence 1. Overall, reducing face-touching requires a combination of awareness, education, and behavioral changes to minimize the risk of infectious disease transmission.
From the Research
Frequency of Face Touching
- The frequency of face touching varies, with one study suggesting that people touch their faces up to 800 times a day 2.
- Another study found that the pooled average of facial self-touch per hour was 50.06 times, with a specific touch of the T-zone (eyes, nose, mouth, chin) being 68.7 times per hour 3.
- A behavioral observation study found that medical students touched their faces an average of 23 times per hour, with 44% of these touches involving contact with a mucous membrane 4.
- A study quantifying the hand-to-face contact rate found that the average total contact rate per hour was 15.7, with a sample mean of 47 contacts per subject over a 3-hour period 5.
Factors Influencing Face Touching
- Face touching seems to increase in frequency and duration in socially, emotionally, and cognitively challenging situations 2.
- The dominance of face touch over other body parts may be due to the proximity of hand-face cortical representations and the peculiarities of facial innervations 2.
- The number of facial hairs, which may be related to the density of mechanoreceptors, corresponds to the frequency of spontaneous face-touch in humans, with areas of the face having a higher number of vellus hairs being touched more frequently 6.
Implications of Face Touching
- Face touching can contribute to self-infection with pathogens, highlighting the importance of hand hygiene and awareness of face-touching behavior 2, 4.
- Restricting T-zone touching is considered a worthwhile prevention strategy, especially in areas with inadequate access to safe water and hygiene 3.
- Understanding the frequency and factors influencing face touching can inform public health guidance and interventions aimed at reducing the transmission of respiratory tract infections 3, 5.