Touching your face

A frequent gesture, often little noticed

Touching one's face has been studied as a spontaneous behavior, beyond a simple gesture of care. An observation published in 2015 noted an average of twenty-three contacts per hour among twenty-six medical students. This small sample does not represent the entire population, but it illustrates to what extent these gestures can be repeated without attracting the attention of the person doing them.

Hygiene brings the subject to the fore

The question has taken on a new place in work devoted to infection prevention, particularly around the Covid-19 pandemic. Research has distinguished contact with the skin from contact with the eyes, nose or mouth. The problem studied was then the transmission of microbes; for appearance, the priority remains above all the handling of imperfections and irritation.

A ban becomes a practical method

Behavioral approaches to habit reversal suggest identifying the gesture and then replacing it with an incompatible response, such as placing your hands elsewhere. A review published in 2020 discussed their adaptation to hand-face movements. This logic gives more concrete advice than the simple injunction “do not touch”: identify the situation and prepare another action.