Not sure about the ladies room (although there was that time at the Ft. Lauderdale Crown Room - but let's not go down that road, lol) in the men's room there is an immutable quantum mechanics in play.
As background, it's my understanding that Quantum Theory dictates the way that electrons fill up the orbital shells in various atoms around the nucleus (protons/neutrons). Remember chemistry class...1s, 2s, 2d, 3s, 3d, 3p, 4s, etc... When you've got 6 electrons in an atom (carbon) they fill in specific shells. When you add one to get 7 electrons (nitrogen) it goes in a specific place. It can't go anyplace else except it's specific place - and if for some reason it's forced into the wrong place, it's highly unstable and will find it's way, one why or another, to it's right place.
It's like that with urinals...and I seriously believer there's been some study on this but I can't put my finger one it...IIRC it was in some architectural magazine which, in all seriousness, was making the case for an odd number of urinals/stalls...always.
If you have 3...the order is 1 - 3 - stall (for #1) - 2 (and only if it's an emergency (i.e. it takes more energy to fill that last position).
If you have 5...the order is 1 - 5 - 3 - stall - and then the loitering begins or, in cases of that emergency, 2 or 4 (at that point, it doesn't matter).
Now - the issue comes with an even number.
1 - 6 - 3...now what ????? 2/4/5 are ALL "close contact" positions and, as a result, highly unstable. The electrons are just in the wrong place. What to do what to do...
Here's a tip - understanding the quantum theory of urinals makes life easier. You know how to fill the orbitals (or in this case urinals) so just play the role and don't be "that guy". You all know him...he's the guy who always goes for the #2 position. You walk in to a 3 seater and boom...there's "that guy" happy as a clam in the #2 position. Now what ? You walk into a 5 seater and it's 2 & 5...you know who "that guy" is.
I'm sure this is the same in the ladies room.
I jokingly share this one night at a party and most people agreed. Some guy who was an anthropologist pointed out that it made perfect sense from his point of view because, and I kid you not, it was a remnant of our prehistoric days. We reflexively create space because we are at our most vulnerable. I don't know - I would have thought pack mentality but maybe that explains the proverbial trough. LOL
OK - that's my insomniac contribution to this deep and critically important issue of our day.
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