You probably do it a lot more than you think. In fact, a new study from the University of Houston and Virginia Tech found that we touch our faces up to 800 times a day, mostly without realizing it. And those touches – especially to the chin, cheeks, and nose – can actually signal rising stress levels.
Researchers found that when people were doing mentally demanding tasks like reading or writing, they tended to touch the lower part of their face more often. These touches weren’t just fidgeting – they were linked to physiological stress responses.
Of course it is also a leading cause for getting colds and other viruses.