PICTURE THIS scenario: you've popped into a hushed bookshop and are casually browsing the shelves, enjoying the soft music and the smell of ink and paper.
Then – seemingly out of nowhere – the inconvenient and uncontrollable urge to poo suddenly hits you, leading you in a frantic search for the nearest loo.
And no, this scenario is not a figment of my imagination.
Many a bookshop browser has been caught unawares by the need to empty their bowels.
In fact, it's such a common experience that it's been dubbed the the Mariko Aoki phenomenon, named after a Japanese woman who recounted getting the urge to number two every time she wandered into a bookshop in a letter to a magazine in 1985.
Of course the phenomenon has made its way to TikTok, with some using the term ‘book bowels’ to describe it.
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One app user put together a viral video of her strolling into a bookshop, captioned "I’m so glad there’s an explained phenomenon for this".
Viewers flocked to the comment section to relate their unexpected poo stories, with one writing: "I’ve always thought it’s because Barnes & Noble is my happy place and I just relax so much and so do those muscles."
"The smell of books makes me gotta go," another said.
A third user even described making use of this strange body quirk: "Whenever I get constipated I go to Barnes & noble to sit and wait eventually it all comes out."
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But apparently, it's not your local Waterstones that can set your bowels in motion.
US TikTok users have also flooded the app of videos about having the urge to poo whenever they visit a TJ Maxx.
In a viral video, influencer Mary (@theverymarylife) revealed that she has to head to the bathroom whenever she visits a store with fluorescent lights.
New York shopper Cat (@cat_turn) described TJ Maxx as a "laxative."
One relieved commenter said: “I really thought that I was the only one with this problem.
“Guest services knows me. They always watch my half-full cart while I go.”
There are a number of theories floating around about what could cause the Mariko Aoki phenomenon.
According to McGill, one leading theory posits that the scent of paper and ink can set people off, especially if they make a habit of reading a book on the toilet.
Some have suggested that bookshops can be calming spaces, inviting your body – and your bowels – to relax.
For others, the pressure of picking out the right book could actually bring on a stress poo.
And it could also be your crouching and squatting in front shelves to get a good view of the book spines, or the cup of coffee you picked up before browsing that result in you suddenly needing to have a number two.
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Or it could be any of the above, all at once! In any case, you might want to mentally prep yourself the next time you enter a bookshop and make note where the nearest loo is.
GPs have previously explained what a sudden need to poo might mean and when it might be time to see doctor about it.
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