YOU'VE just entered a public toilet to attend to a personal emergency. Much to your delight, there's just you and three vacant cubicles. Of the three, which one should you choose for perceived cleanliness? Of course, the emergency may mean you have no choice but to take the first stall available, regardless of its hygiene state.

Under normal circumstances and with enough time to choose, however, which cubicle would you choose? Clint Rainey, in a 2015 New York Magazine article, said people 'reliably prefer the middle one.' This conclusion was reached because men often choose whatever is closest to the door while women prefer the farthest cubicle.