This is how long it should take you to poo - down to the very second

Admit, you enjoy taking your time

Aside from being a necessary physiological function, going to the toilet is also a nice opportunity to have a break.

You get to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life, have a relaxing scroll through Facebook, catch up with your correspondences etc.

Scientists, however, are keen for us to not devote quite so much time to having a number two .

According to - seriously - Soft Matter , they have even narrowed down the time frame to the exact amount of seconds.

Apparently, we should be taking just 12 seconds to evacuate our bowels.

Whether that seems like too little time is obviously subjective, but the rationale behind it is most mammals keep it short and (not) sweet.

Headed up by Patricia Yang, a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the study involved analysing 34 different mammal species all doing their business, which is bound to give you some perspective about your job.

The mammals, both herbivores and omnivores ranged from four kilograms to 4000 kgs and and did not beat around the bush.

The study also found the length of each piece of faecal matter was five times as long as the diameter of each of the animal's rectum and the mammals all used the equivalent level of pressure to push through a bowel moment.

We shouldn't spend too long on the porcelain throne

A swift fecal exist is crucial if you want to survive in the wild.

"The smell of body waste attracts predators, which is dangerous for animals," Yang told New Scientist .

"If they stay longer doing their thing, they’re exposing themselves and risking being discovered."

Thankfully, as humans, we're able to take our time.