Studies reveal that stalls in public restrooms are not used to the same extent. One cabin is visited significantly more often than others.
Whether at the rest stop, in the shopping center or on a city trip – sometimes you just have to use a public toilet. Choosing the right toilet cubicle can be a bit of a challenge. Because an inspecting eye and a keen nose don’t always help you make the right decision and get to the cabin that is used least often – and is therefore presumably the cleanest.
The results of an investigation could help you make your decision in the future. She revealed that certain cabins get more traffic than others.
The choice of toilet cubicle in public sanitary facilities is not just a coincidence. Scientific studies show that most people tend to choose the middle cabin.
The scientists explain the behavior, among other things, with the so-called “centrality tendency”. It states that people usually choose the middle option when there are several equally valid alternatives available to them. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a deck of cards, an apple box in the supermarket or a box on a questionnaire: the middle is the most common choice.
The psychologist Nicholas Christenfeld, among others, has confirmed this theory. He examined how bathers behaved in the public toilets on the beach and which cabin they preferred. But instead of lurking in front of the toilets all day, he analyzed toilet paper consumption. To do this, the cleaning staff had to record for ten weeks how often they had to change the paper in the individual cubicles.
The result: around 60 percent was used in the middle cabin. In the two outer cabins it was only 40 percent overall. In doing so, he confirmed his colleagues’ theory about the centrality tendency in public toilets.
No. Just because the outer cabins are used less often doesn’t mean they are cleaner. On the one hand, all cabins are cleaned equally intensively by the cleaning staff – usually immediately after guests have used them. On the other hand, there are also guests who leave behind more mess and dirt than others. If the cleaner is not on site quickly enough, this can distort the impression.
However, the researchers themselves have slight reservations. It may be that the design and features of the toilets also influence the choice, they explain. There are also guests who feel uncomfortable taking the middle cabin – for example because their bowel movements produce unpleasant smells and noises. You will then feel more comfortable in the cabin that is not in the middle or near the entrance door.
