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September 10, 2006
Connection between guilt and desire for cleansing
Rituals that cleanse the body to purify the soul are at the core of religions worldwide. Now scientists find these ceremonies apparently have a psychological basis.
Researchers discovered sins actually seem to urge people to clean themselves, a phenomenon they dubbed the "Macbeth effect" after dramatized murderess Lady Macbeth, who vainly tried scrubbing her hands clean of imaginary blood in Shakespeare's famed Scottish play.
Intriguingly, the researchers also found purifying the body then helped people absolve their consciences.
LiveScience.com - People Really Do Wash Away Sins
Posted by thdyck on September 10, 2006
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