https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ex4z9/why_do_people_read_while_shitting/
created by Kouper on 06/01/2011 at 08:17 UTC
5 upvotes, 17 top-level comments (showing 17)
I've never understood this... the entire shitting process takes me >2 minutes, and when I asked a friend they told me it was because "everyone likes their own brand". I just cannot believe that anyone would rather sit on the toilet, smelling their own shit, when they could just finish up and go read on a comfy couch or something. Does it just take a lot longer to take care of business as you get older? (I'm only 21)
Comment by nocubir at 06/01/2011 at 08:23 UTC
8 upvotes, 2 direct replies
You're 21, you have few responsibilities or people nagging you all the time. The toilet is a great place to have some time to yourself. The shared relaxation of shitting + reading + self time is a no brainer. I actually call my bathroom "The library".
Comment by Nobodyreallycares at 06/01/2011 at 08:27 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I didn't do it when I was younger, either. And I felt the same way. What happens is that those minutes in the bathroom each day become some of the most serene and peaceful in your life (unless you have Chrones disease or something of course). You sit there for a bit, and nobody bothers you, because you are in there "doing your business". Yeah it smells, but the relief it brings and time-out from screaming kids and a yapping wife make up for the stench.
Comment by sethc at 06/01/2011 at 08:39 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Comment by iamstandingbehindyou at 06/01/2011 at 08:45 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It's a modern form of meditation. I'll read anything, hell over the years I've memorised the ingredients of most brand name shampoos.
Comment by [deleted] at 06/01/2011 at 08:18 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Comment by Blasphemy4kidz at 06/01/2011 at 08:21 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I'm actually writing this from the shitter.
You see, the toilet is a throne for many men. To me it's more of a place to spend time being my own filthy self. And I don't know about you, but I don't smell my shit. Maybe that's why you dislike being on the toilet.
I'd be willing to bet you're one of those people who have hand sanitizer and a granola bar in their man purse.
Comment by NeverEvanesce at 06/01/2011 at 08:26 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I used to constantly wonder this. Then I got an iPhone and a couple years older. I used to time myself as a child to see how fast I could do anything-shower, get ready for school, etc. I realized that that was one form of entertainment. Now I am about to be 25 and definitely see how I could be off the shitter in under a minute, but that's unnecessary. So I recognize that it is more comfortable to go slowly. But I also recognize that if I do it slowly it is a waste of time, so I reddit. But it is also a waste to unlock phone, load new page, read one comment, put back in pocket. So I cOmpromise. I get the slow, comfort, and I get to either finish or come to a good break-point in my reading.
Comment by asdfman123 at 06/01/2011 at 08:42 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
A better question is why don't YOU? :)
Comment by Gravity13 at 06/01/2011 at 08:48 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I play around on my smartphone. Sometimes I comment on read it.
Comment by canarchist at 06/01/2011 at 09:07 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Why do I read? Because my wife won't let me write graffiti on the walls.
Comment by [deleted] at 06/01/2011 at 08:22 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
No one really minds the smell of their own shit that much and it's relaxing.
Comment by [deleted] at 06/01/2011 at 08:31 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Reddit is fun on my android, or rom grabber
Comment by nuuur32 at 06/01/2011 at 09:16 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Kindle clip, in the bathroom section of Home Depot.
Comment by frostflowers at 06/01/2011 at 09:30 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
We-ell... For some people it doesn't take two minutes. It all depends on what you've eaten (fibre-content, etc., etc.) how much you exercise and so on and so forth. And if you're stuck on the can for more than ten or fifteen minutes, you read because really, it's not *that* much fun to stare at the wall for fifteen minutes.
Also, even if it *is* a fast bathroom-visit, I'm a compulsive reader. If there is anything in there with writing on it, I'll read it.
Comment by optimusprimordial at 06/01/2011 at 09:59 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
To pass the time.
Comment by thinkmcfly at 06/01/2011 at 13:28 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It's the only time I get some peace and quiet to myself - so I take advantage of it.
Comment by [deleted] at 06/01/2011 at 14:22 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The toilet is usually the only place in the house where a man can be at peace... unless he has devised some type of man cave to hide in.
The SO and I both generally piss with the door open, but it's time to take on the tidy bowl man, the door is shut and locked and I get my dump on without any type of rush or distraction.
Every now and then it will be a particularly large or stubborn food baby that doesn't want to be to birthed, so I keep reading materials to keep myself occupied.