this post was submitted on 02 Jan 2026
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.

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[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 185 points 1 week ago (6 children)

I don't even piss standing up anymore, but I'm still a firm believer in the concept of "it really isn't that hard to just look before you sit".

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 99 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I don't even piss standing up anymore

the correct solution.

[–] Bob_Robertson_IX@discuss.tchncs.de 57 points 1 week ago (6 children)

True power comes from not using the power.

I can stand and piss... but for many reasons I prefer to sit.

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[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Tbh, it's just easier and less messy. I don't gotta focus on aiming, and I don't have to worry about getting griped at for forgetting to put the seat down. Standing is really only a better option if you're in public and in a rush.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Certain toilets are on the small size for my... equipment. And I periodically find my dongle touching porcelain. This also results in some backspray which is annoying to clean up.

I've found it easier and less messy to piss standing. But I also got a fancy bidet for my wife's Christmas present years ago. It automates the whole task of opening and closing, does a bit of self-cleaning, and saves us a few bucks on toilet paper month-to-month. So its less of an issue.

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[–] melfie@lemy.lol 24 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Yeah, for men, standing up is just going to get piss everywhere. Men also need to wipe themselves afterwards, not just shake. Some men consider both of these practices to be overly-feminizing or whatever, but not having piss all over yourself and the bathroom is unequivocally a good thing.

[–] tabris@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I wear shorts for most of the year. Using a urinal while wearing shorts, you realise how much piss splashes everywhere. Really not hygienic.

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[–] radix@lemmy.world 137 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The lid always goes down when not in use at my house.

"It's a shit receptacle, not a water feature" has been repeated to anyone who doesn't know the rule.

[–] cenzorrll@piefed.ca 17 points 1 week ago

I've had my neighbor get their sewer line worked on that somehow resulted in making my toilets explode with sewer gas and shit particles.

The lid stays down.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 103 points 1 week ago (14 children)

I genuinely cannot understand why someone wouldn't want their seat and lid down at all times when not in use.

[–] bajabound@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

I switched out to the slow close seats so there's really no effort or slamming. Just push, wait 2 seconds, then flush.

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[–] Xittstorm@aussie.zone 73 points 1 week ago (12 children)

Flushing with the lid up is gross. I do not want to have poo particles flying around and landing on my toothbrush. But maybe that is just me... ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 17 points 1 week ago

This is exactly where I sit on this debate. Flush with the lid down and it's a non-issue!

[–] BigBananaDealer@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago (5 children)

sorry to ruin your life but mythbusters tested this and no matter how much protection your toothbrush has there will still be poo particles on it

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[–] ArsonButCute@lemmy.dbzer0.com 69 points 1 week ago (7 children)

Always keep the lid down to minimize poop spray!

[–] rbos@lemmy.ca 23 points 1 week ago

You don't want to microdose poop to boost your immune system? Lame.

[–] ghen@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Flushing with the lid up is 🤢

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[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 42 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Also keeps the fecal aerosol to a minimum.

Lid down is a win for everyone.

[–] remon@ani.social 40 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

It could also be solved by everybody always putting the seat up ...

But it won't because everybody not agreeing on one course of action is the more fundamental problem.

You're basically just saying "This disagreement could be solved if everybody would agree".

[–] theneverfox@pawb.social 48 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (30 children)

But seat (edit: I meant lid) down is more hygienic when you flush. It isv the morally situation superior position

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[–] favoredponcho@lemmy.zip 38 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (6 children)

Toilets are gross. Put the lid down. There is some study I read that said flushing the toilet throws lots of bacteria into the room. Shut the lid before you flush.

[–] bss03 19 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Mythusters found fecal particles everywhere even when the lid was down. There's no escape from gross, just finding an acceptable level.

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[–] motruck@lemmy.zip 36 points 1 week ago

Lid down gang. Stop leaving your toilet seats up.

[–] RedC@sh.itjust.works 32 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Ive always put the lid down along with the seat. I believe its more sanitary and has the added benefit of women not falling fully in the bowl like when the seats up. Ive done this for about 15 years.

A few years after I started doing this, I was spending the night at my friend's house. I had to get up early to go to work, so I was first up. My friends mother got up next apparently. I was bombarded with texts and such, her mom was angry because she got up and went to the bathroom and just went for it after she sat down. Queue giant liquid waste mess to clean and an angry start to her day.

All these years later, I still think its one of the funniest things I've ever been part of in real life.

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[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 29 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Just sit down to pee, losers.

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[–] Shirow@lemmy.zip 28 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Oh... I'm already doing that with my wife and in any case I'm always sitting down. I thought it was more commun to do that.

I mean I always thought it was more hygenic to prevent the "splash zone"...

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[–] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago (5 children)

"These invisible particles go on to coat and spread onto surfaces like floors and counters; or objects like hand towels, bathmats or even toothbrushes.
...
Toilets are scientifically proven to continue to produce contaminated toilet plumes over multiple successive flushes as indicated in the above video.
...
Toilet aerosols are known to contain Norovirus, SARS Coronavirus, Salmonella and many other Diseases." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_plume

TLDR: always put the lid down before flushing.

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[–] Kaput@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Everybody saying keep the lid down for hygiene reason are missing the most important reason to keep the lid closed. Anything dropped or falling will inexorably end into the toilet if the lid is up.

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[–] ieGod@lemmy.zip 24 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I never understood the debate. Ensure it's how you need it before doing your thing. Applies equally to all individuals for any scenario. Not difficult.

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[–] lauha@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (10 children)

Lid should go down unless you want all the poopy microparticles coming from your toilet when flushed.

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[–] OshagHennessey@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (6 children)

"This debate would be solved if everyone would just agree to one choice."

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[–] paultimate14@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I grew up with a dog. The toilet seat was always kept down to keep him away from drinking it, because we had toilet cleaning pucks in the tank that would have potentially poisoned him. Nothing to do with gender at all.

Also the mythbusters episode on toilet water splashing out onto bathroom surfaces scarred me as a child. We have a soft-close lid and I wait a few seconds for it to get to a low angle before I even flush.

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 15 points 1 week ago (4 children)

The mythbusters episode convinced me. That water flush makes everything spiral upwards, and it lands in your toothbrush.

People who don't put the toilet seat down are unaware they're brushing with shit particles.

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[–] slothrop@lemmy.ca 21 points 1 week ago

The lid should be down before you flush.
Would you put your face 8cm above the bowl as you flush? No! Even with the lid down. Any dude who's ever pissed anywhere barefoot or in shorts knows the splash radius....

[–] ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

I’ve always been a lid fully closed person because of animals. The water here is bad enough that the toilet tank needs water treatment pucks, and those chemicals shouldn’t be consumed by pets.

It has been such a fucking struggle with the men who visit or live with me. And it makes absolutely no sense other than just being lazy and inconsiderate.

Whenever I go to someone else’s place, I leave the lid the same way I found it, or if I can’t remember how I found it, fully closed is safest (hardly anyone gets upset by that). That’s the polite thing to do. But that’s apparently just too much for lots of dudes. They come into the home of a woman who lives alone and leave the bathroom the way they want it with zero regard for who actually lives there.

They get one talking to about it, then I start slamming the lid down behind them every time they use it, very passive aggressively. These are all adults, they shouldn’t need more than one request to put the seat back how they found it. It doesn’t take them super long to figure it out, but WAY LONGER THAN IT SHOULD! If they can’t figure it out within a couple days/visits, they don’t get to be there anymore. I can’t afford emergency vet appointments for something that shouldn’t even be a problem.

I had one ex, in his 30s, mind, who was so inconsiderate about it for such a long time that I drew Reddit up and downvotes on the tank and lid (he was always on Reddit, so downvote on the lid, upvote on the tank), to indicate displeasure with the lid being left up. That worked, believe it or not.. in a really disgustingly childish sort of way. Depressing to have to resort to such nonsense just for a safe environment for everyone who actually lives there (he did not, just extended visits).. that dude is also why I have no patience for this shit anymore, and simply disallow people who can’t respect my home. I shouldn’t have to do that.

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[–] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I literally don’t give a shit about the seat up or down, but close the lid ffs. Stop spray germs all over my toothbrush.

Also, I don’t care what direction the toilet paper goes. I don’t even look at it when I put a new roll in. I’m a free spirit.

homerskipping.gif

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[–] Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 week ago

Any couple that fights over the toilet seat (or toothpaste or whatever other stupid thing) is doomed - get out now before it gets worse.

My wife of almost 30 years can have whatever she wants and I’m happy to provide it - especially if it’s something as stupid as the toilet seat. I spoil her, she spoils me. We’re happy.

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 15 points 1 week ago (11 children)

Why is this a debate? I'm always confused by this one and how everybody assumes it's a huge argument. Why are people annoyed at either? I don't even register what state the toilet seat is at when I arrive. I'll just adjust it based on whatever it is I need. What is the supposed annoyance at lowering (or raising) the seat? Is that not what you do before doing your business regardless? Don't you mostly leave the whole lid down anyway? Why is this such a cliche? I do not get it.

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[–] __Lost__@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 1 week ago (11 children)

It drives me crazy that I, a man, always shut it, but my wife won't. Our cat was drinking from it a couple days ago and that still isn't enough to make her change.

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