How Do You Stop Shocks From Static Electricity?
Most people have felt the surprising sting of a shock of electricity when touching a doorknob or other metal object. Static electricity is generated when two things rub together, and is sometimes dissipated more slowly than it builds up. Sometimes a charge can build up enough so that when a discharge point (a doorknob, etc) is touched, the charge is painfully released from your body onto the object. Electrostatic shocks happen more frequently in the winter when the air is drier. There are a few steps that you can take to minimize or eliminate the chances that you will receive a shock. Because static electricity is generated by rubbing things together, it is important to pick your feet up when walking. Shuffling feet across a carpet is a surefire way to generate a painful shock when those electrons are dissipated. In the summer months, when humid air is more prevalent much of the electrostatic charges built up by people is dissipated into the surrounding water vapor. In the winter, humi
