The 'law of urination' and why you should stick to the '21 second rule'

A few years ago, a team of physicists won a prize after they determined that almost all mammals take the same amount of time to pee.

Using high-speed video analysis, a team from Georgia Tech discovered that most mammals weighing over 3kg empty their bladders in around 21 seconds, a timeframe which is also handy for us humans to use when monitoring our bladder habits. 

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Nurse practitioner Janis Miller, PhD, explained the health benefits of counting to 20 while you make peepee, noting that if it’s always taking you lots less or more than 20 seconds to urinate, you’re either holding it in for too long, or going too often. 

Speaking to Well and Good last year, Miller said: “If you find that you almost always pee for significantly less or more than 20 seconds, consider examining your bladder habits: Are you drinking too much water or not enough? Are you giving yourself enough bathroom breaks during the day?”

She added: “Or are you using the bathroom more than you need to because it’s the only private place in your house? Your answers can help you to tweak your bladder habits.”

Differences in urine flow rates can also signify health issues like cystitis, bladder stones and even prostate problems, so keeping on top of your tinkling has huge benefits. 

Back in 2015, the Georgia Tech physicists were awarded the satirical Ig Nobel prize - handed out in celebration of ‘trivial’ achievements in scientific research.

The team’s subjects included mammals of all sizes (think rats, goats and elephants) and although a consistent ‘scaling law’ was established in bigger beasties, the physicists noted that smaller animals wee differently.

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While weeing seems like a hard thing to get wrong, it’s not the first time we’ve been handed some stellar slashing advice from a specialist in recent weeks.

Back in June, Dr Teresa Irwin took to TikTok to share that many of us have actually been sitting on the toilet in the incorrect position. 

Explaining she wanted to ‘revisit the basics of proper peeing’, Dr Irwin sat on a white chair while demonstrating optimum peeing positions. 

She explained: “I’m going to talk about the proper ways for women to pee. Did you know that there's actually more than just one way for us to pee? 

“So the proper way to pee is just like a cowboy. Lean forward, put your elbows right above your kneecaps, and pee. Make sure your feet are flat though, because otherwise it’s still not going to empty properly.”