The perception of being watched can serve as a powerful intervention to modify human behavior. A field experiment investigated this phenomenon regarding hand hygiene compliance in a public restroom.

In the study conducted by Pfattheicher et al. (2018), researchers observed the behavior of 354 women. A poster was placed above the soap dispenser featuring the text: “Hands spread pathogens. Hand washing protects”. The visual cue displayed above this message was manipulated to test the effect of social pressure.

In the control condition, three stars were displayed above the text. Under this condition, 71.9% of individuals utilized the soap dispenser.

In the experimental condition, the stars were replaced by a pictogram of watching eyes. The presence of these eyes significantly increased compliance to 83.3%. Statistical analysis (Odds Ratio: 1.95) indicates that the probability of hand washing was significantly higher when the watching eyes were present.

The study further identified a moderator effect regarding the duration of the restroom visit. The “watching eyes” effect was statistically significant only for individuals who spent a relatively short time in the restroom (approximately 2 minutes). The authors suggest that in these shorter visits—potentially associated with urination only—the intrinsic motivation to wash hands is lower, making the external cue of the eyes more effective in enforcing social norms.

These findings suggest that simple, low-cost “nudges” utilizing cues of social presence can effectively improve hygiene behavior in public settings.

Reference: Pfattheicher, S., Strauch, C., Diefenbacher, S., & Schnuerch, R. (2018). A field study on watching eyes and hand hygiene compliance in a public restroom. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 48(4), 188–194.

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Studies (just a small selection):

Bateson, M., Callow, L., Holmes, J. R., Redmond Roche, M. L., & Nettle, D. (2013). Do images of ‘watching eyes’ induce behaviour that is more pro-social or more normative? A field experiment on littering. PloS one, 8(12), e82055.

Conty, L., George, N., & Hietanen, J. K. (2016). Watching Eyes effects: When others meet the self. Consciousness and cognition, 45, 184-197.

Dear, K., Dutton, K., & Fox, E. (2019). Do ‘watching eyes’ influence antisocial behavior? A systematic review & meta-analysis. Evolution and Human Behavior, 40(3), 269-280.

Nettle, D., Harper, Z., Kidson, A., Stone, R., Penton-Voak, I. S., & Bateson, M. (2013). The watching eyes effect in the Dictator Game: it’s not how much you give, it’s being seen to give something. Evolution and Human Behavior, 34(1), 35-40.

Pfattheicher, S., & Keller, J. (2015). The watching eyes phenomenon: The role of a sense of being seen and public self‐awareness. European journal of social psychology, 45(5), 560-566.

Pfattheicher, S., Strauch, C., Diefenbacher, S., & Schnuerch, R. (2018). A field study on watching eyes and hand hygiene compliance in a public restroom. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 48(4), 188–194.