Dr. Mehmet Oz wrote on healthcare website Sharecare that ‘experts theorize people tend to skip the first stall in favour of stalls farther back into the restroom to get a little more privacy’.
A recent study also discovered that people tend to choose the middle stalls in a restroom due to a phenomenon scientists call ‘centrality preference’. The theory found that when presented with a range of options, people tend to choose something in the middle, be it a middle stall or a selection of objects.
Therefore, the middle and last stalls in a public bathroom are pretty much guaranteed to be the dirtiest, while the stall closest to the door usually contains less bacteria.
If you’re really trying to avoid germs, remember to wet and wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds after using the bathroom, and do not put your purse or belongings on the floor.
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