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May 31, 2021

Men's offices crawling with 20% more bacteria than women's: study

In general, men are grotesque creatures. I don’t need to link you to photos of Jack Black or late-‘90s John Goodman to prove the point.

But for all the crumpled shirts, sweaty underarms and greasy hair, are men really dirtier than women? Like, “bacteria” dirtier?

In the workplace, at least, it’s a no-brainer.

According a new study, men’s offices are crawling with much more bacteria than their female counterparts.

Researchers at San Diego State University recently surveyed 90 offices from across the U.S., sampling the same five surfaces at each.

*Bing: How to disinfect your work space

The biologists took sterile swab samples of office chairs, phones, computer mice, keyboards and desktops, logging each under a “male” or “female” classification.

The results? Male offices boasted up to 20 per cent more bacteria than female ones, the researchers found.

A few reasons for the discrepancy, other than, you know, guys being animals.

“Men are known to wash their hands and brush their teeth less frequently than woman and are commonly perceived to have a more slovenly nature,” the study reads.

But be easy, men. While we’re not all statues of David, the deck may be stacked against us.

Chief among the causes for more male bacteria lies simply in the fact that men are most often bigger than women.

On average, the study noted, men have more skin surface area than woman, leading to a larger breeding ground for bacteria and the capacity for more bacteria to be shed onto male surroundings.

By Jason Buckland, MSN Money

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...