TikTok users have been speaking about needing to poo whenever they are in a bookshop or, as it is known to some, ‘book bowels’. According to users, the sudden urge to poo happens to them as soon as they walk into bookshops or libraries and while this isn’t a defined syndrome, it’s also something that people have described experiencing for decades!
The Mariko Aoki Phenomenon
So, way back in 1985, an otherwise unknown writer called Mariko Aoki wrote an essay for Hon no Zasshi (book magazine) about her realisation that walking around a bookshop inevitably made her need to go to the toilet. Strange as this story may seem, the editors received reports from other readers who had experienced the exact same sensation and it was eventually named ‘The Mariko Aoki Phenomenon’. While we personally wouldn’t be thrilled to be named after a toilet habit, it’s pretty incredible that this essay led to a collective acknowledgement of such a strange condition.
So, What Causes This?
Speaking to Men’s Health magazine, Dr. Sameer Islam, MD, a Texas-based gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at Texas Tech university said, ‘It’s a purely psychological problem. Now, the people who experience this aren’t crazy or nuts. There’s a real connection between the gut and the brain—it’s called the gut-brain axis. What we feel mentally will affect our bowels. That’s why when you’re nervous, like taking a test or giving a public speech, you have butterflies in your stomach. It’s the nervousness you feel that corresponds to the butterfly feeling in your gut. For others, that nervousness will cause diarrhoea and bowel issues to occur. It’s a common manifestation of conditions like irritable bowel syndrome.’
He also added that this can be experienced in parks and museums as the wealth of information you receive in museums and the peace you feel in gardens can trigger an automatic response in your gut.
Of course, many public places have limited access to public toilets and if you are aware of not being near a toilet, you may cause increased sensitivity in your bowels leading to needing to go!
Finally, Dr Islam didn’t completely poo-poo the idea that your posture in bookshops can also get your bowels moving. Squatting, crouching, stooping - all of these can be similar to your positions on the toilet and can indicate to your body that you need to empty your bowels.