Are you an under-roller or an over-roller?

There are two types of people in the world: Those who roll over and those who roll under

Although the choice is largely a matter of personal preference, there is a documented correct way to place toilet paper onto the holder — which is in the “over” position. Seriously — the 1891 patent for the toilet paper roll states that the end of the roll should be hanging off the exterior.

While many people consider this topic unimportant, some hold strong opinions on the matter. Defenders of either position cite advantages ranging from aesthetics, hospitality, and cleanliness to paper conservation, the ease of detaching individual squares, and whether or not they own a cat.

The main reasons given by people to explain why they hang their toilet paper a given way are ease of grabbing and habit. Some particular advantages cited for each orientation include:

• Over reduces the risk of accidentally brushing the wall or cabinet with one’s knuckles, potentially transferring grime and germs.
• Over makes it easier to visually locate and to grasp the loose end.
• Over gives hotels, cruise ships, office buildings, public places and homeowners with guest bathrooms the option to fold over the last sheet to show that the room has been cleaned.
• Over is generally the intended direction of viewing for the manufacturer’s branding, so patterned toilet paper looks better this way.
• Under provides a tidier appearance, in that the loose end can be more hidden from view.
• Under reduces the risk that a toddler or a house pet, such as a dog or cat, will completely unroll the toilet paper when batting at the roll.
• Under in a recreational vehicle may reduce unrolling during driving

In a Toilet Paper Personality Test, 2000 people were surveyed on which way they roll their toilet paper, to determine how assertive they are in their relationships. The results revealed that those “who roll over are more dominant than those who roll under,”. Under-rollers are the opposite, being a member of the more submissive and laid-back niche.

The study also found that some over-the-roll-people feel so strongly about the orientation of their toilet paper, that they actually admitted to flipping the roll over if they come across a stray under-roll at someone’s house.

So what are your views? Is this something that you have ever considered?  Are you obsessed with how your toilet paper hangs? Or do you just wish someone else would change the empty roll?