Why You Keep Getting Shocked in Winter, and How to Stop It

That sharp sting from a doorknob isn't bad luck — it's physics at work. Scientists say the real culprit is a buildup of electric charge that has nowhere to go once the air dries out.

Fall and winter may bring chillier weather, but for some people, they also bring a noticeable uptick in electric shocks for no apparent reason — even during the most mundane tasks.

Hanging a coat on a metal hook, grabbing a metal door handle, turning on a faucet — feeling a jolt when touching these conductive surfaces can be irritating and even slightly painful.

According to Ivana Dimitrova, assistant professor of physics at Northeastern University, most objects around us are electrically neutral, thanks to their atoms containing an equal number of negatively charged electrons and positively charged protons.

However, when materials rub together, they exchange charges, Dimitrova notes. Certain materials shed electrons readily and take on a positive charge, while others, which hold their electrons more firmly, collect additional electrons and end up negatively charged.

"It depends on the material and how much this happens," she says. "The result is materials with a slight excess of positive or negative charge." When summer brings humid air, water molecules help scatter these excess charges, allowing materials to return to neutral.

"This works because water molecules have a positive and a negative pole, allowing them to carry charges away," Dimitrova says. "Everything becomes nice and neutral again."

During winter, or in drier parts of the world, though, there's significantly less moisture in the air. "There aren't as many water molecules to redistribute the charges, so they build up," she explains. Whenever we wear clothing or sit on a chair, constant friction allows a charge to accumulate.

So when we then reach for a conductor, such as something made of metal, electrons dart swiftly between our bodies and the object, resulting in that familiar zap. "These zaps occur because there's no natural way for the charges to discharge," Dimitrova says.

When the air is dry, "electrons get trapped on the surface with the stronger binding force," Sebastian Deffner, an assistant professor of physics, and Muhammed Ibrahim, a research collaborator in his lab, explain in The Conversation.

"They can't find their way to flow back to the surface where they came from," they write, "and they can't make the distribution of charges uniform again."

That changes, however, when the object holding on tightly to those electrons, such as your fingertip, nears something that has gathered fewer of them, like a doorknob. At that moment, the electrons surge onto the less-charged object, delivering the telltale static "zap."

The buildup isn't always something we can sense, but once it becomes noticeable, there are ways to keep it in check and spare yourself the sting. Deffner and Ibrahim suggest using dryer sheets to tone down static cling on clothing.

The pair also recommends using a humidifier to add moisture to the air at home or in the office. As for Dimitrova, her go-to tip is to discharge yourself regularly by touching metal objects, which helps prevent one big, painful jolt.

Here are a few more ways to reduce the chances of getting shocked:

• Use a key or coin as an intermediary conductor
• Use metal hangers and combs
• Touch objects with your knuckles first
• Wear natural fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, and linen — even their blends — to protect against electrical charges
• Use fabric softener on your laundry
• Try anti-static sprays
• Try grounding bracelets

While static shocks are mostly harmless, they can certainly put a damper on the cozy season.

The good news is that a little extra moisture in the air, a smarter choice of fabrics, and the habit of touching metal before it touches back can go a long way. With these simple tweaks, the coming months can be a lot less shocking.