Here at TheLADbible Manchester office, we share earphones. A lot. It's one of those things you shout across the table when you want to watch a video of a dog wearing a hat with the sound on, but without anyone noticing.
Turns out, we're all proper mingers because it's actually a really gross thing to do.
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Kelly Reynolds, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental health at the University of Arizona, told BuzzFeed that because our ears are full of wax, dead skin cells and bacteria, swapping buds between mates is not a healthy thing to do.
By sharing them, you're introducing new bacteria into your ears. This makes you more vulnerable to infections. Ew.
According to Reynolds, the best way to avoid these ear-borne infections is to regularly clean your earphones.
This means sanitising them before (and after) sharing them with your mates. PLUS disinfecting them once a week. She said: "When you disinfect, make sure to clean any waxy residue off first, then wipe down the earbuds with a cotton ball dampened with disinfecting spray or rubbing alcohol."
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Who can be arsed doing that though? Sorry colleagues, but my earphones are now officially off limits.
Words by Mel Ramsay
Featured image credit: Getty
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Gross