Toilet Paper Roll Placement and Personality: Surveys Show Links, Not Proof
Relationship expert Gilda Carle linked toilet paper roll placement to personality traits in a survey of 2,000 people. The publication itself cautions that the surveys are not scientifically rigorous and do not establish causation.
A mundane habit, the way a person positions a toilet paper roll, may be linked to character and leadership traits. That is the suggestion of an informal, not strictly scientific study reported by the outlet “YourTango”. Its results, however, point only to correlations, not to a proven cause.
Expert surveyed 2,000 people
Gilda Carle, a relationship expert and leadership coach who works with company executives, surveyed 2,000 people. According to her findings, those who place the roll with the loose end hanging outward, away from the wall, more often show persistence and a desire to take on a leadership role.
People who turn the loose end toward the wall, in the expert's observation, more often have a more yielding character. They may be more flexible, kinder and more empathetic. This does not mean such people are less successful.
Link to income
Similar results emerged from another survey that compared roll placement habits with respondents' annual income. Among people earning less than 20,000 US dollars a year, 73% preferred the loose end closer to the wall. Among those earning more than 50,000 dollars a year, 60% placed the roll so the end hangs outward.
Conclusions should be treated with caution
The article's author urges readers not to jump to conclusions. Neither survey meets the strict criteria of a scientific study, so the correlations found cannot be taken as evidence of causation. The author concludes that predicting a person's future success is not at all simple.
The publication also notes that the concept of success can mean different things to different people: for some it is achieved goals, for others wealth and popularity.
