The Macbeth effect
Eagle-eyed Briefing reader Tristan Merkel from Wodonga, Australia, pointed us to this article which says:
It appears that an element of Lady Macbeth may reside in most of us. The metaphorical desire to wash away one's sins is not just wishful thinking but evidence of an innate psychological association between moral and physical cleanliness, according to a new study ... [R]esearchers found that study participants who focused on unethical behaviours such as lying, stealing, or betraying friends were more likely to follow up with activities that indicated they felt physically dirty.
Those who were given an opportunity to wash their hands after recalling incidents of immoral behaviour showed signs of a clearer conscious [sic] than those who had not washed.
It's interesting that evidence for the Macbeth effect can even be found in the first century:
... [W]hen Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.” (Matthew 27:24)
But of course, those wishing to remove their spiritual stains will not be able to wash away their sins by merely splashing a bit of water or giving some cash to the needy. Only by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus will our desire to be clean be realized once and for all (Acts 22:16).