Men Replace Newspapers with Smartphones as Toilet Reading Material

Bangalore: Taking the newspaper to the toilet has always been a proud male preserve, but of late the tech age has affected even this most established masculine habit. According to a new research carried out by shampoo brand Head and Shoulders, men are far more likely to be scrolling through their phone screens than looking through the paper. One in two men regularly takes their mobile phone into the toilet to surf the internets, compared to just a third, who take a newspaper, reported the ANI.

The new survey also revealed that men spend longer in the bathroom than women, 19 minutes compared to 18 minutes on a usual week day. It also suggested that more than twice as many men as women take two or more showers a day, 19 percent compared to 9 percent and men are much more likely than women to regard a loofah and nail scissors as bathroom essentials.

Geordie men are the cleanest when it comes to bathroom habits, spending typically 26 minutes in the shower in the morning, while men from the north-west spend least time at just 16 minutes. On weekends, men in London pamper themselves with showers averaging an incredible 31 minutes.

Nevertheless, our motivations for washing are more complex than they might seem. Women are more likely to feel showering makes them feel more attractive, while men believe shower makes them feel more productive.

As a get away from the daily routine, one in five men think about singer Cheryl Cole in the shower, while women are most likely to think about Hollywood star Johnny Depp while washing. Northern Irish and Scottish women are particularly keen on Gary Barlow. The bathroom is also seen as a retreat from stresses and strains for men, with more men than women using time in the bathroom to ponder over problems.

Michael Douglas, Head and Shoulders' grooming creative director said "It seems that for many people their bathroom is a little oasis of calm in which they can indulge in their own personal grooming rituals and get away from the stresses of the day," as reported by ANI.