9 Questions Men Have For Women Answered By Science

3. Why Do You Go To The Toilet Together?

What do women do in the bathroom together? Well, aside from satanic rituals and talking about boys, you might be surprised to learn that they're mostly peeing. Actually, one of the major factors in why some women seem to enjoy urinating together is all to do with the different ways men and women interact with a social group. Broadly speaking, male and female styles of conversation are very different. Studies show that, whereas women tend to adopt the "collaborative speech style", male conversations tend to me more of a competitive, turn-taking affair. Whereas it is relatively easy for different members of the group to dip in and out of male conversations and for a variety of people to participate, female discussions are a bit of an exclusive team effort. The effect of this is twofold. If women are engaged in conversation with a group, they are more likely to wait for a natural break to excuse themselves to the loo. In doing this, they create further social cues to the other women in the group who are all doing the same which is why there might appear to be a mass female exodus to the bathroom at seemingly random intervals. The other effect of this is that mixed-sex group conversations tend to be male dominated, even in female-majority groups (some findings say that women only speak as much as men when they outnumber them 4:1) so, actually, part of the stereotype is true, women go in there to talk. Going to the loo as a woman is a bit of a lengthier affair than for men, so having someone to talk to to pass the time could be a factor. Women also take longer in the bathroom for many different reasons, there are fewer receptacles to pee in, our clothes are more restrictive, we have to wipe rather than shake, we wash our hands more on average and, yes, we also fix our makeup. All of this adds up to make going to the loo less of the in-and-out experience it is for blokes and, of course, going in groups only exacerbates the situation.