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> For the bathroom, I (a man) peed sitting down. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I've never understood why it is considered un-masculine for men to pee sitting do

> For the bathroom, I (a man) peed sitting down. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I've never understood why it is considered un-masculine for men to pee sitting down. Or even if it is, why so many men pee standing up just to play along. It's one thing to use a urinal in a public toilet, but at home it's potentially messy and probably not hygienic to release a partially aerosolised stream of urine just below waist height.

iRomain 6y ago
I consume most news in a day when I’m sitting on the toilets. Sitting down not only makes it more practical to handle my phone at the same time, it’s also an excuse to make my pee break a few minutes longer, thus being more informed on what’s going on in the world and the HN realm. The only issue I see with this routine is that I can’t pee standing up anymore without making a mess 3 times out of 4.
globular-toast 6y ago
Urine is sterile. Toilets are not. I'd say it's much more hygienic to urinate standing. We don't sit down because we don't have to. It's really as simple as that.
- markild 6y ago
  Urine isn't sterile, though[1], and there's good reason to believe that the toilet seat is one of the least concerns when it comes to sources for bacteria[2]. I can buy the argument for "I prefer not to sit", but I'm not convinced about the hygienic aspects. [1]: https://www.popsci.com/urine-sterile-drinking-pee/ https://www.popsci.com/urine-sterile-drinking-pee/ [2]: https://time.com/4908654/cell-phone-bacteria/ https://time.com/4908654/cell-phone-bacteria/
  - globular-toast 6y ago
    Oh god... It's sterile enough. But I retract that bit anyway. Men urinate standing up because they can. That's it. End of story.
    - dotancohen 6y ago
      On the eighth day, God came down with his bag of tricks and offered to both Adam and Eve some goodies. Heard from the heavens: First In The Bag, Pee Standing Up Adam immediately gets excited. "Oh, that would be so useful as I'm in the fields toiling all day. I wish for that ability to be bestowed upon myself". And so it was, that Adam could now pee standing up. Heard from the heavens: Second In The Bag, Multiple Orgams
      - globular-toast 6y ago
        Life would be hell for a man with multiple orgasms. Imagine an itch that won't go away no matter how much you scratch it. The male urge to mate is very strong, but goes away the instant the act is completed. Sex does indeed mean everything to men some of the time, but it means very little most of the time. Without that relief and absolute end to the act it would be more like a never ending drug addiction than something worthwhile pursuing.
        phist_mcgee 6y ago
        Come to the comments for a discussion on blindness, leave with the thought that multiple orgasms for men may not be a good idea. I love HN.
        tetris11 6y ago
        It probably was, but I guess selection favoured the men who had the capacity for other pursuits. Our poor masturbating long-forgotten cousins, left as a cautionary tale in the evolutionary tree
- jack_pp 6y ago
  Your own toilet is as clean as you keep it. Urine pools under your toilet smell which is why I also sit down at home.
alufers 6y ago
For somebody who is nearly 2m tall peeing without sitting down means uniformly coating my legs and the immediate surroundings with pee droplets of high velocity.
- PakG1 6y ago
  Precisely why I pee sitting down unless I'm at a urinal. I did not need to do this when I was younger and shorter.
- wooque 6y ago
  That's why I pee in sink :)
  - huxflux 6y ago
    You badass!
morsch 6y ago
Not to mention that if you're sharing a household with someone who prefers to sit, you either a) leave the seat up, which is inconsiderate or b) keep raising and lowering it every time, which seems like it's more work than sitting down in the first place.
- Ensorceled 6y ago
  Both my wife and I put both the seat and the cover down, every time because it is cleaner.
- naavis 6y ago
  I'm amused how people considering raising or lowering the seat a lot of work. I don't understand why it is an issue. You should anyway close the lid when flushing to prevent toilet water and fecal matter from spraying around.
  - morsch 6y ago
    Who are those people who consider it a lot of work?
    - Ensorceled 6y ago
      I also assumed that you did, since you went out of your way to comment on it. If it's not a lot of effort, why did you mention it?
      - morsch 6y ago
        I said it's more work than sitting down. Both is not a lot of work. A relative increase in a value does not imply an absolutely high value. I imagine if you enjoy peeing while standing up, it's worth the effort.
    - danielheath 6y ago
      Taking a wild guess: Tall people with bad backs?
BrandoElFollito 6y ago
In Germany it is the normal way to pee (I am not German but all my German friends told me so). I also do it at home (I am French so this is not a typical thing to do here) and noticed that one of my kids (two boys) spontaneously does it too (at home). I hope that everyone pees sitting when going to the toilet at night, without switching on all the lights...

iRomain 6y ago

I consume most news in a day when I’m sitting on the toilets. Sitting down not only makes it more practical to handle my phone at the same time, it’s also an excuse to make my pee break a few minutes longer, thus being more informed on what’s going on in the world and the HN realm. The only issue I see with this routine is that I can’t pee standing up anymore without making a mess 3 times out of 4.

globular-toast 6y ago

Urine is sterile. Toilets are not. I'd say it's much more hygienic to urinate standing. We don't sit down because we don't have to. It's really as simple as that.

markild 6y ago
Urine isn't sterile, though[1], and there's good reason to believe that the toilet seat is one of the least concerns when it comes to sources for bacteria[2]. I can buy the argument for "I prefer not to sit", but I'm not convinced about the hygienic aspects. [1]: https://www.popsci.com/urine-sterile-drinking-pee/ https://www.popsci.com/urine-sterile-drinking-pee/ [2]: https://time.com/4908654/cell-phone-bacteria/ https://time.com/4908654/cell-phone-bacteria/
- globular-toast 6y ago
  Oh god... It's sterile enough. But I retract that bit anyway. Men urinate standing up because they can. That's it. End of story.
  - dotancohen 6y ago
    On the eighth day, God came down with his bag of tricks and offered to both Adam and Eve some goodies. Heard from the heavens: First In The Bag, Pee Standing Up Adam immediately gets excited. "Oh, that would be so useful as I'm in the fields toiling all day. I wish for that ability to be bestowed upon myself". And so it was, that Adam could now pee standing up. Heard from the heavens: Second In The Bag, Multiple Orgams
    - globular-toast 6y ago
      Life would be hell for a man with multiple orgasms. Imagine an itch that won't go away no matter how much you scratch it. The male urge to mate is very strong, but goes away the instant the act is completed. Sex does indeed mean everything to men some of the time, but it means very little most of the time. Without that relief and absolute end to the act it would be more like a never ending drug addiction than something worthwhile pursuing.
      - phist_mcgee 6y ago
        Come to the comments for a discussion on blindness, leave with the thought that multiple orgasms for men may not be a good idea. I love HN.
      - tetris11 6y ago
        It probably was, but I guess selection favoured the men who had the capacity for other pursuits. Our poor masturbating long-forgotten cousins, left as a cautionary tale in the evolutionary tree
jack_pp 6y ago
Your own toilet is as clean as you keep it. Urine pools under your toilet smell which is why I also sit down at home.

alufers 6y ago

For somebody who is nearly 2m tall peeing without sitting down means uniformly coating my legs and the immediate surroundings with pee droplets of high velocity.

PakG1 6y ago
Precisely why I pee sitting down unless I'm at a urinal. I did not need to do this when I was younger and shorter.
wooque 6y ago
That's why I pee in sink :)
- huxflux 6y ago
  You badass!

morsch 6y ago

Not to mention that if you're sharing a household with someone who prefers to sit, you either a) leave the seat up, which is inconsiderate or b) keep raising and lowering it every time, which seems like it's more work than sitting down in the first place.

Ensorceled 6y ago
Both my wife and I put both the seat and the cover down, every time because it is cleaner.
naavis 6y ago
I'm amused how people considering raising or lowering the seat a lot of work. I don't understand why it is an issue. You should anyway close the lid when flushing to prevent toilet water and fecal matter from spraying around.
- morsch 6y ago
  Who are those people who consider it a lot of work?
  - Ensorceled 6y ago
    I also assumed that you did, since you went out of your way to comment on it. If it's not a lot of effort, why did you mention it?
    - morsch 6y ago
      I said it's more work than sitting down. Both is not a lot of work. A relative increase in a value does not imply an absolutely high value. I imagine if you enjoy peeing while standing up, it's worth the effort.
  - danielheath 6y ago
    Taking a wild guess: Tall people with bad backs?

BrandoElFollito 6y ago

In Germany it is the normal way to pee (I am not German but all my German friends told me so). I also do it at home (I am French so this is not a typical thing to do here) and noticed that one of my kids (two boys) spontaneously does it too (at home). I hope that everyone pees sitting when going to the toilet at night, without switching on all the lights...