**TL;DR Showering often makes you more productive and a better person to be around** Cleanliness and hygiene is important on a personal level but also for those that we share living spaces and work environments with. A regular and frequent shower level is therefore important. On an individual level it can set you up for a busy day ahead, if you are a morning shower person. Or it can set up you for a good nights sleep if you prefer showering in the evening. It is likely then that showering often will make you more productive, healthier, and provide you with a sense of all-around well-being. It is also important to utilize bathroom products such as shampoo as this can prevent the spread of parasites such as nits (head louse). As these parasites can spread from person to person it is therefore important to not only shower for personal reasons but also for the wellbeing of those in your surroundings. It would be grossly unfair if working in close proximity to colleagues if a persons stench were to be bothering other people in a professional environment for 8-10 hours a day.

**How often we shower depends on personal and cultural preference** • Bathing habits are personal and cultural; how we wash is partly down to personal preference, but strongly influenced by social expectations, traditions, religious beliefs, economy, and climate. • Showering is one of the [most popular](https://www.dailyinfographic.com/world-shower-habits) forms of bathing in the world. A study on the bathing habits of people from Great Britain, China, Germany, Brazil and the USA found that showers were favoured over baths in all of these countries. • It is disputed how often we should shower. In Great Britain, 63% of women and 58% of men [shower once a day](https://www.soakology.co.uk/blog/bathing-habits-of-the-world/). The sociologist [Elizabeth Shove](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191004-the-peculiar-bathroom-habits-of-westerners) notes that the popularity of the daily show is a relatively new habit in Western countries – only two generations ago, it was common for people to wash once a week. In contrast, people from Ghana, the Philippines, Colombia, and Australia often shower multiple times a day. People from Brazil shower the most often, with an average of [14 times a week](https://www.dailyinfographic.com/world-shower-habits). • Many argue that regular showering is necessary to maintain good hygiene and good health. When we shower, we remove bacteria and pollution which could otherwise lead to illness or infection. • However, recent studies have suggested that showering too often can be bad for your health. Dr Robert Shmerling explains that washing too often can [wash away the skin’s natural oils and healthy bacteria](https://www.considerable.com/health/hygiene/shower-health/) that our bodies need. This can break down our skin’s acid mantle, which acts as a barrier to viruses and bacteria, making us more vulnerable to infection. Experts suggest that optimally we should take short, lukewarm showers a few times a week.