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Ever notice how many animals poop wherever and whenever they need? Humans are one of the few species with a socially mediated pooping reflex--that is, the urge

by wahern 7y ago

Ever notice how many animals poop wherever and whenever they need? Humans are one of the few species with a socially mediated pooping reflex--that is, the urge to defecate is attenuated when around other people. This attenuation is stronger for some people than others. At the extreme end of the spectrum, some are very nearly physically incapable of defecating in the presence of other people.

kortilla 7y ago
Does your office not have bathrooms to allow people to poop in privacy?
- wahern 7y ago
  Define privacy. American-style stalls don't permit very much privacy, though in any event "private" is in the mind of the person. That's what makes it interesting--a person's feeling of privacy mediates a very basic physiological function.
- Smoosh 7y ago
  Wow! Talk about an open office! But as anecdata my wife avoids pooping at work or at public toilets, so saves it up for home, whereas I will just go if I need to and there is a non-disgusting toilet available.
ojbyrne 7y ago
Dogs seem to be super picky about where exactly they’ll poop. Ours when he has to go will only go in the nearby park (not on the sidewalk or the street on the way there). And then he sniffs around for five minutes or so before finding the perfect spot. I think his social cues are largely about smell.
eesmith 7y ago
It's surely a cultural one, yes? Eg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitation_in_ancient_Rome#Public_latrines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitation_in_ancient_Rome#Pub... : > Public latrines date back to the 2nd century BC. Whether intentionally or not, they became places to socialise. Long bench-like seats with keyhole-shaped openings cut in rows offered little privacy. Or from https://ask.metafilter.com/235727/Have-humans-always-sought-privacy-to-defecate https://ask.metafilter.com/235727/Have-humans-always-sought-... : > When I lived in China, I had the experience of using many, many public restrooms which were basically just a big concrete trench in a room. Occasionally there would be small dividers but not always. So practically speaking, pooping would sometimes be quite the communal activity.
- wahern 7y ago
  Yes, on the whole it's cultural as culture informs us as to what is public or private. And no doubt individual behaviors can change, though the degree to which they can readily change for any particular adult is the sticking point. Culture isn't the only dimension--the strength of the physiological response (which is rooted in genetics) undoubtedly varies. For all we know, maybe 10% of Romans were secretly midnight poopers and perplexed at how people could chat while doing their business. Such covert behavior would naturally go unnoticed by others.
  - eesmith 7y ago
    It's easier to point to young children as an example. The second link, for example, includes: > I have a child who could not poo if someone was in the room or he was being watched, so a soon as he could move for privacy, he did. ... Many other kids will at least need to avert their eyes and at least pretend they have some semblance of privacy. Others will let go while grinning at you. FWIW, my 3-year-old son loves to watch me poop, and will run into the bathroom when I need to go. And I let him, and don't find it difficult to poop. I do have a hard time getting a sense for how much is "rooted in genetics" beyond the simple fact that we are living creatures. Some people are scared of flying. Others are not. This cannot be a direct result of genetic selection, for obvious reasons. Some children love certain foods, while a sibling does not. This too cannot be explained by simple genetics. So given examples like the Romans, and Chinese and (again from the second link) "About a billion people -- 15% of the world's population -- practise open defecation" and "In the Samoan house there are no walls... the beaches are used openly as latrines." - how meaningful is it to say it's 'rooted in genetics', any more than we can say that at some level English is rooted in genetics?
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]

by wahern 7y ago

kortilla 7y ago

Does your office not have bathrooms to allow people to poop in privacy?

wahern 7y ago
Define privacy. American-style stalls don't permit very much privacy, though in any event "private" is in the mind of the person. That's what makes it interesting--a person's feeling of privacy mediates a very basic physiological function.
Smoosh 7y ago
Wow! Talk about an open office! But as anecdata my wife avoids pooping at work or at public toilets, so saves it up for home, whereas I will just go if I need to and there is a non-disgusting toilet available.

ojbyrne 7y ago

Dogs seem to be super picky about where exactly they’ll poop. Ours when he has to go will only go in the nearby park (not on the sidewalk or the street on the way there). And then he sniffs around for five minutes or so before finding the perfect spot. I think his social cues are largely about smell.

eesmith 7y ago

It's surely a cultural one, yes? Eg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitation_in_ancient_Rome#Public_latrines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitation_in_ancient_Rome#Pub... : > Public latrines date back to the 2nd century BC. Whether intentionally or not, they became places to socialise. Long bench-like seats with keyhole-shaped openings cut in rows offered little privacy. Or from https://ask.metafilter.com/235727/Have-humans-always-sought-privacy-to-defecate https://ask.metafilter.com/235727/Have-humans-always-sought-... : > When I lived in China, I had the experience of using many, many public restrooms which were basically just a big concrete trench in a room. Occasionally there would be small dividers but not always. So practically speaking, pooping would sometimes be quite the communal activity.

wahern 7y ago
Yes, on the whole it's cultural as culture informs us as to what is public or private. And no doubt individual behaviors can change, though the degree to which they can readily change for any particular adult is the sticking point. Culture isn't the only dimension--the strength of the physiological response (which is rooted in genetics) undoubtedly varies. For all we know, maybe 10% of Romans were secretly midnight poopers and perplexed at how people could chat while doing their business. Such covert behavior would naturally go unnoticed by others.
- eesmith 7y ago
  It's easier to point to young children as an example. The second link, for example, includes: > I have a child who could not poo if someone was in the room or he was being watched, so a soon as he could move for privacy, he did. ... Many other kids will at least need to avert their eyes and at least pretend they have some semblance of privacy. Others will let go while grinning at you. FWIW, my 3-year-old son loves to watch me poop, and will run into the bathroom when I need to go. And I let him, and don't find it difficult to poop. I do have a hard time getting a sense for how much is "rooted in genetics" beyond the simple fact that we are living creatures. Some people are scared of flying. Others are not. This cannot be a direct result of genetic selection, for obvious reasons. Some children love certain foods, while a sibling does not. This too cannot be explained by simple genetics. So given examples like the Romans, and Chinese and (again from the second link) "About a billion people -- 15% of the world's population -- practise open defecation" and "In the Samoan house there are no walls... the beaches are used openly as latrines." - how meaningful is it to say it's 'rooted in genetics', any more than we can say that at some level English is rooted in genetics?
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]