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Hygiene psychology

When clean isn’t enough

Public fountains offer sustainable hydration under rising urban heat, but people often avoid them. Research now shows that contamination aversion reduces fountain use, while hygiene cues promote it.

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Fig. 1: Posterior distribution of intervention-related differences in fountain usage patterns.

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Correspondence to Damian R. Murray.

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Murray, D.R. When clean isn’t enough. Nat Water 4, 6–7 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00537-1

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