this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2026
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS

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This is a toilet thought, please ban me mods.

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[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 66 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

The velocity is proportional to bladder pressure and inversely proportional to the square of the diameter of the urethra. The shape of the body parts outside the urethra is irrelevant.

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 11 points 1 week ago (4 children)

This isn't true because I can squeeze the tip of my foreskin and the pee will start spraying everywhere super fast. Similar to covering the end of a hose with my thumb.

[–] LurkingLuddite@piefed.social 31 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

Similar to the hose, your feeble attempts at restriction only make the stream stronger.

There is a fundamental pressure being restricted. IF she has a bigger urethra than you, she'll wreck you. If she has a narrow urethra, she might be in the same support group as Hank Hill.

Either way, the fundamental limit of how much pee can flow will always follow a basic function.

I used to think that women had larger urethras than men because female catheters are larger. A post similar to this one caused me to do a bit of reading though. Women's urethras are actually a little smaller on average. They can use larger stiffer catheters because their urethras are much shorter and almost straight. Men's catheters have to be narrower because they have to be flexible to go through men's longer curvier urethras.

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[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (10 children)

Because of the inverse relationship between velocity and diameter.

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[–] remon@ani.social 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Yes, partially covering the opening will increase flow speed, but it doesn't matter how long the hose was before you covered it, so no penis is required to achieve that.

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[–] tankfox@bookwyr.me 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You should try a twist tie, wrench it shut like it's bread you want to actually keep fresh instead of just twisting it up and tucking it under the loaf like most men do. See what happens!

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I tried all of these but I just came in my pants? Is that normal?

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[–] EightBitBlood@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (11 children)

Not a urologist, but I've got a bladder issue that has given me insight on this topic that I've discussed with several urologists.

In short: yes, penis havers piss slightly faster than non-penis havers. But only on average.

All sexes have a urethra, the tube in which pee comes out of, penises just contain a few extra centimeters of urethra on average, compared to non-penis havers.

These extra centimeters, on average, allow the piss to naturally "cycle" around the urethra a bit more, leading to a naturally higher velocity on exit.

To answer your question, there is a device that measures the flow rate of a stream of urine. This device is placed into a toilet, looks like a portable fan, and is pee'd on to determine the strength and speed of your flow over time.

It's used by urologists to determine if you're peeing good or bad, but 100% generates accurate information on the velocity / speed of your piss.

Not intentionally, but I did very well on one of these tests, literally pissing "off the charts" which lead to several conversations with my urologist on who the best pissers out there are. (Horses, Swimmers, Etc). Eventually confirming that men do (on average) pee faster.

[–] partofthevoice@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Sounds like way more than a few centimeters. ✋

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[–] zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

So what you're saying is that penis-havers have a rifled urethra, which contributes to higher muzzle velocity and accuracy, as well as the spiral shape of the stream?

[–] EightBitBlood@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Technically, yes, haha

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[–] tiny_hedgehog@piefed.social 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 10 points 1 week ago

Unlike you heretic, my back shots are smoothbore. Guided by God.

[–] mufkin@lemmy.zip 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I’m going to just say this. I hear my wife pee sometimes and it sounds like a water faucet. She has me beat at least.

[–] Nomad@infosec.pub 7 points 1 week ago

Same here. she also finishes way faster, so assuming equally sized bladders it would follow that her flow is much stronger.

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[–] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 19 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Likely slower due to the friction the fluid have to go through the length of the barrel. The benefit however is the accuracy it has and lower in decibel, as it act as an aiming device and a suppresor.

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I like this theory, diverting more funding to your research doctor

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[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Your penis makes noise when you pee? The only noise I've ever heard is when the urine hits water/leaves/grass..

[–] Nouvellalia@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It sounds like a lawn mower in a kiddie pool full of spaghetti. Yours is silent?

[–] jdr@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 week ago

A kiddie pool full of spaghetti is one place I haven't yet tried peeing

Should I wait for the kids to get out?

Mine sounds more like me looking at how hot it is outside and thinking maybe later. Mostly quite, but a potential groan everyonce in a while.

[–] Rappe@sopuli.xyz 14 points 1 week ago (10 children)

Now I'm sitting here wishing I had rifling in my barrel so the pee would come out spiraling like those nozzles on some power washers.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

but the individual particles in the stream are going to follow a ballistic, not spiralling trajectory. I think the spiral nozzles have to rotate; they can't just be rifled.

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[–] TownhouseGloryHole@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Finally, a proper shower thought!

[–] ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Time to harass my wife and compare speeds based on the sound of our pee streams. ✌️

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 10 points 1 week ago

Caution advised, I have just received a theory from one of your scholarly peers that a phallus may act as a scilencer thus making your method ineffectual. Perhaps pee upwards at a 45 degree angle and then measure the height of each stream to derive velocity?

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

This is a toilet thought, please ban me mods.

[–] farmgineer@nord.pub 8 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I thought most mammals had basically the same time (where diameter scales with bladder size) from a full bladder. I'm not sure if I'm misremembering that.

[–] jdr@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

You're so right! At least as long as you aren't so small that surface tension forms droplets

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1402289111

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[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago
[–] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

pew, pew!

I have no idea but the next time I pee PEW PEW

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