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According to a new survey released by Georgia-Pacific (makers of Quilted Northern toilet paper), 41 percent of people gossip, 30 percent talk about their jobs, 20 percent discuss sex and 16 percent talk about their love life (i.e., how much they want to have sex).
Yes, public bathrooms are social places. So much so that 86 percent of the people surveyed said they often have personal conversations in the loo. But, apparently we're conflicted about that as 73 percent of people agreed that bathrooms should not be treated as social spaces.
The survey, conducted by the marketing research firm StrategyOne, queried nearly 1,300 men and women between the ages of 18 and 64. Questions ranged from their style of toilet paper scrunching (31 percent create a “snowball” while 28 percent fold it into squares) to how many folks think reading in the bathroom is taboo (10 percent).
The study also found that most people aren't comfortable just coming out and telling their buddies when they need to visit the restroom. Instead, they turned to euphemisms -- 26 percent said they told their friends they were going to “use the potty,” 21 percent said they were heading off to “heed nature’s call,” and 26 percent said they were going to “drop a deuce.”
What, are they playing cards in there?
The gross-out factor of public bathrooms dictates behavior in most people surveyed. More than half (53 percent) said they, too, cover the seat with toilet paper when away from home while 19 percent go so far as to sterilize the seat with a hand sanitizer or baby wipe. (Only 10 percent just plop down.)
Hate asking the person in the stall next to you whether they can “spare a square”? Fifty-six percent of people surveyed said they were also uncomfortable asking the person next to them to pass the TP.
But there’s something worse than having to ask for a handout. Fifty-seven percent of men and women said simply hearing someone else in the restroom was the thing that made them uncomfortable.
Toilet paper injury lawsuit can go to jury
For Jessica Ward, a 30-year-old notary public from Seattle, her biggest bathroom beef is people who talk on their cells phones in the stalls.
“I always flush and sometimes curse between flushing when the person in the stall next to me is talking on their phone,” she says. “It’s my subtle, passive-aggressive way to tell them to get off the phone. I want to let the person on the other end of the line know where they are.”
While toilet talkers shocked only 25 percent of the people surveyed by Georgia-Pacific, more than twice that number were disturbed by something else: people who eat in the bathroom.
What's your pet peeve? Tell us in the comments. (And keep it clean, kids!)
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Leave a Comment:
Jeeez, when I'm in a public restroom I want to be the ONLY one in there, and if someone else IS in there the last thing I wanna do is carry on a conversation while I'm trying to drop the Browns off at the Super Bowl...
Having a restroom at work with many stalls does suck cuz everytime I take the kids to the swimming pull they like to stick their heads out the window and scream for a bit. So its kind of embarassing when the kids are screaming and then the door flings open so everyone else can hear
the Browns suck. they are having a 'poopy' year.
"Who does number 2 work for?!"
Great research, people. The information here has really enriched my life.
Will there be a book soon?
Standing at the urinal while a man stands next to me holding two Blackberrys at once -- yes, that has happened, most recently at my gym.
People texting others while standing at the urinal. It's so wrong.
People who leave residual drops (marks) behind --- no pun intended. Finding toilet seat covers plastered to the toilet seat then having to remove them before sitting down.
Men who don't raise the seat before doing #1.
You'd be suprised how many women SHOULD HAVE raised the toilet seat before going. It makes me wonder if they splatter the whole room when they're at home, too.
Also disgusting is the fact that they pee all over the seat and then leave it there!
Yes...you must remember the poem "if you sprinkle when you tinkle be a sweetie and wipe the seat-ie"!!
This is a Tee Pee to take a Pee Pee
Not a Wig Wam to beat your Tom Tom.
Peeve in addition to those listed above: people who don't wash their hands after their "go" (as the Charmin commercial puts it).
Toilets that automatically flush while you are going.... but then you can't get them to flush when the time comes!
Courtesy flush.
Eat in a public restroom? Yuck! That is simply too gross for words!
I thought the same thing. That's just nasty!
my biggest pet peeve is when the toilet bowl has too much water sitting in it. splashes not to mention the water is too cold for those dangling participles...
And it's DEEP too! ;-)
LOL eating in the bathroom is awesome especially when im dropping a duece.
Trying to balance it out, I take it?
I too hate the talking on the cell phone when in the stall. I often wonder if the person on the other end hears them psssssg while carrying on a conversation.
Standing at the urinal, doing my biz and hear someone fart right next to me.
excuse me! I dont need to smell your Fart!
Well, in your world, if you are not allowed to fart in the bathroom then where the heck are you supposed to fart???
My question is why in your world the term Fart obtains the honor of being capitalized.......
I work in a huge office with many stalls in the restrooms. But recently we moved to another floor where the women's restroom is about half the size of the previous. So not only is there usually a line like at a concert, but then it's Social Hour and apparently, Time To Make That Long Cell Phone Call. One person in particular is quite the culprit for the cell conversation, she is widely known as "Dookie Phone" and I try to make sure I flush repeatedly and/or grunt loudly every time I hear her yakkin' away in the stall next to me! Speaking of the food thing, that's just plain WRONG.... I do recall seeing a lone Cheerio on the floor once, and a FORK another time. Ehhh? Why would either of those things BE in the bathroom in the first place??!?! To those that don't wash your hands before you leave, that's pretty much like you wiped with your hand and tainted the door for the rest of us. DISGUSTING. Did you not have that driven into your head as a child?? Also, the "courtesy distance" thing should really exist for women as well as men. If the entire bathroom is empty with the exception of me, put one stall between us please....what, are you afraid to pee by yourself??!?
I have witnessed this at work: A guy in a nearby stall asked a guy in the next stall to him, " Hey, you wanna see a dirty picture? The guy responded, " Yeah". The first guy sticks his soiled snowball of toilet paper under the stall divider and screams, " first wipe!" That's what this country has come to.
LMFAO! AWESOME!!!!!
Awesome, I will have to try that one!
I avoid sharing bathroom experience with anyone. This is so gross on too many levels. One could say, I don't go and tell. gee. For all u'al know I never go.. and I'm sure you are all fine with that!! :o)
I hate when people who use the seat cover to keep from getting germs leave it for the next person to remove & to get their cooties, the ones who flush with their feet and fail to wipe the handle off afterwards for those of us who use our hands to end up with maybe something nasty on them from whatever you had on the bottom of your shoe (it's just as easy and cleaner to use a couple pieces of tissue to flush as it is to use your foot!) and those who spray the seat. What are you doing? Squating over it w/o touching it? If you sit right on the seat, there is no reason to miss and just make sure you are done before you stand up. And then there are those who do not flush. I can understand sometimes that the toilet is broke but come on! Esp. if you have a hygiene product! Flush it or throw it away!
hey dude, can you wipe for me? my finger keeps going thru the tp
I've got one to top you all. I went to a public restroom one time out of town and I noticed that in all of the toilet stalls, there was a 2" diameter hole cut into the wall of the stall about 2 and a half feet off the floor. I asked my friend what the holes were for. He explained it to me. I decided that I no longer needed to use the bathroom after the explanation.
This is one of my biggest pet peeves! Leave the cell phone outside.
Once was conducting a telephone interview and the candidate flushed the toilet during the interview. Needless to say, she didn't get the job.
It's my potty and I'll talk if I want to! ;-D
Ugh...I don't want to read, chat, twitter when people are pooping on either side of me! It's pretty disgusting having to savor other people's toilet odors in such close proximity. But then when I was in the Army there were no partitions and guys would write passionate love letters on the throne1
I really have to question their numbers. I have never had a conversation in a bathroom nor have I heard anything much beyond "Damn does anyone have paper?"
I'm 56 and have belonged to gyms and, of course, gone through school and at least in the men's room there is very little talking going on, even when there are long lines.
I suspect that the women are far more chatty since they never seem to go alone,, lol.
Lol, I've never been one to "go to the ladies" with a pack of friends, and that must make me a bit of an anomaly. Once when I was out with a group of friends, as I stood up to head to the ladies room, one of my female friends stood up as well and asked, "Do you want me to go with you?" (LOL). I looked at her with amused surprise and asked her "Why? Am I going to get whacked on my way to the john?"
I have noticed though, that almost all of the female chatter in public ladies rooms centers around the guys they are interested in, guys in that particular bar/sporting event/gym/etc., ex-boyfriends/husbands, new boyfriends/husbands...in other words, they're busy discussing men.
who really gives a @!$%#!
i have 2 peeves besides the ovious ones:
#1. when women dont wrap up their monthly pads, just throw them in the trash for all of us to see & smell (so nasty).
#2. when i get in a stall to pee & their is a great big pubic hair staring at me, gross!
I agree to both. It's like seriously, people are so lazy or something. They dont know how to flush, throw their trash away, or wash their hands anymore. It's not that hard, people. There are trash cans & flushers for a reason. Use them!
lol haha ewww i know right they do that in school all the time !!!
I think it is just nutso when I am "dropping a deuce" and the guy next to me is on the phone! We have like 20 stalls all in a row, and the guy is on the phone while toilets are flushing...and worse.
Maybe he's talking to the guy 3 stalls down.
Why this is a funny topic? I guess cause it is related to poop. Get over it is nature in action. #1 pee and #2 drop the load. end of story.