Dads Spend Seven Hours a Year Hiding from Their Families — in the Bathroom: Study

The study saw one-third of men surveyed admit to using the bathroom as a getaway "when their other half is 'nagging' them and to avoid the children"

Dads are finding alone time in an unexpected place.

In a recently resurfaced 2018 study commissioned by self-described “bathroom experts” Pebble Grey, results of a poll from 1,000 British men found that, on average, they spend seven hours a year in the bathroom for the specific reason of taking refuge from their families, according to U.K. outlet The Independent.

“We all need a little bit of time to ourselves — to take stock or switch off completely,” said Helena Linsky, the owner and director of Pebble Grey. “And the bathroom appears to be the go-to place for those moments.

The findings themselves also revealed that 25 percent of men “don’t know how they’d cope” with the stress of home without the bathroom trips, and 23 percent called the bathroom their “safe place.”

“It’s very much a sanctuary, somewhere we can cut ourselves off from the outside world, albeit just temporarily,” Linsky added of the space.

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Man in bathroom. Srinrat Wuttichaikitcharoen/EyeEm/Getty

One-third of the men surveyed admitted to using the bathroom as a getaway place for “quiet time” and, as the study says, “when their other half is ‘nagging’ them and to avoid the children.”

“As the results suggest, peace and quiet are considered sacred and clearly men take the opportunity to get this where they can — often in the bathroom,” Linsky added.

Despite the surveyed men’s time spent in the bathroom, Pebble Grey reports that women (of whom 1,000 were also polled, with 20 percent reporting that they also use the bathroom as an escape) are overwhelmingly (72 percent) the ones who keep it clean on a regular basis.

Man in bathroom. Moyo Studio/Getty

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What’s more, 10 percent of households have adopted a “do not disturb” regulation in regards to bathroom time — but 85 percent of those rule-setters still get interrupted during it.

“Apparently some things aren’t sacred anymore — including being left alone to use the [bathroom],” Linsky said. “So it’s no wonder so many households have introduced rules to prevent disturbances.”

She added, “Sadly, though, it seems few people adhere to this rule or respect the hallowed ground that is the bathroom.”