There are other inventions that defy the way our human body has evolved. One of them is the toilet used in most western countries.
Instead of sitting on a throne, we’ve evolved to squat when emptying our bowels.
One of the advantages of squatting is that the angle between anus and rectum is straightened, which makes defecation easier. That’s because the puborectalis muscle is relaxed when squatting, otherwise it chokes the rectum, as depicted in the image below.
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C-level of anorectal ring, D-anal canal
Image Credit: Lesion at English Wikipedia
We’ve brought these seats into our homes and for a long time, didn’t stop to consider that, for thousands of years, we had been squatting (and a big part of the world population still does). Our bodies won’t adapt to sitting on the toilet just because it’s more comfortable on the short term. We blame things like age, food, stress, etc for the complications that arise from straining on the toilet. While all of these can play a role, years of defecating in a position the body hasn’t evolved for will take its toll at some point too.
We need to keep an open mind and question the things we create. Even if it has to do with things that we don’t usually talk about, like our toilet habits. But intestines are really interesting and everyone is born with one, there’s a lot to say about them!
| References |
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| Video Toileting: everybody’s business everyday Informative and entertaining 16-minute TEDx Talk of professor Ajay Rane |
| Website Nature’s Platform The most complete website I found about the theme. It also addresses the difference between really squatting and only lifting the feet with a footstool. |
| Article What’s the best way to go to the toilet – squatting or sitting? Contains references to different studies, also mentions squatting is not a panacea to all intestinal problems |
| Article Sitting, squatting, and the evolutionary biology of human inactivity from Raichlen et al, published in PNAS on March 2020 There are other benefits to squatting instead of sitting. This article discusses how squatting might more beneficial during periods of inactivity, examining inactivity in a hunter-gatherer population. |