It’s a cultural thing: Why do German men pee sitting down? And they’re not the only ones
A global study shows how bathroom habits vary by country, from Germany to Japan, and why more men are choosing to sit.
Anyone who knows anything about German will be aware the language has some wonderfully colorful words made up of separate words, often ones that would need a full sentence to explain in English.
One such term is “Sitzpinkler,” which is the name given to a man who pees sitting down. The sheer existence of the word in the German dictionary tells you it is more common practice there than in other countries around the world.
Germany tops the list of sit-down pee-ers
A study carried out by market research and data analytics firm YouGov looked at the urinating habits of men in 13 countries. German men were by far the most likely to pee sitting down, with 40 percent reporting they do so “every time” and 22 percent doing so “most times.”
Sweden ranked second but lagged well behind (22 percent every time, 28 percent most times), with Scandinavian neighbors Denmark (19 percent every time, 25 percent most times) completing the podium.
How North America compares
In case you were wondering, Canada (16 percent every time, 19 percent most times) is the sitting down to pee champion in North America, well clear of the United States (10 percent every time, 13 percent most times) and Mexico (6 percent every time, 15 percent most times).
Mexico, in fact, propped up the list of 13 countries and was also the place where men are most likely to never sit down (36 percent). That is in stark contrast to Germany, where only 10 percent of respondents claimed they would never consider taking a seat.
The rise of the “toilet ghost”
The general belief in Germany is that becoming a “Sitzpinkler” is a recent trend, inspired by a peculiar device called a Spuk, or WC-Geist (“toilet ghost”), released in 2004.
Attached to the toilet under the seat, “toilet ghosts” encouraged men to do their business sitting down if they lifted the seat. In the same way you can get celebrities to voice your SatNav, many “spooks” communicated using the voice of one of Germany’s recent chancellors, including Angela Merkel, to convey just how serious the issue is.
A shift in culture
In a sign of how much times have changed, “Sitzpinkler” was previously a term implying you were somehow less “manly” if you peed sitting down, “like a girl.” Now, parents in Germany encourage their sons to do it.
Not only does it improve aim and cut out the risk of messy accidents, medical research shows it allows the bladder to empty more efficiently.
Age differences across countries
The study also looked at the behavior of respondents based on age, with varying results from country to country. In Germany, for instance, 28 percent of 18 to 34 year olds say they sit down every time, compared to 49 percent of those over 55.
The United States is one of four countries in which younger men (11 percent of 18 to 34 year olds) have more “Sitzpinkler” tendencies than their older counterparts (8 percent).
Separate studies show that Japanese men are just as prolific “suwari-shon” practitioners (the Japanese equivalent of “Sitzpinkler”) as their German counterparts. Data in Japan points to a clear shift over time, with only 15 percent claiming to sit down in 1999, rising to 40 percent in 2007 and 60 percent in 2020.
How much of that is down to the amount of time younger generations spend scrolling on their mobile phones while using the restroom? Perhaps an idea for a future study.
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