You've Been Pooping All Wrong: How to Make Your Bowel Movements a Joy

by Trisha Pasricha

A GI’s guide to the brain-gut-microbiome connection; including research on why people develop IBS, and how anyone can achieve poophoria

Welcome to the easy-to-digest user’s manual for your body’s unsung the gut. Leading Harvard gastroenterologist, Dr. Trisha Pasricha takes us on a riotous deep dive into our own bowels with new insight from neuroscience, enteric biology, and physiology for an actionable framework to make pooping a breeze.

No one would expect you to have stunning teeth if you were never shown a toothbrush. You would struggle to fall sleep if you never knew how to turn off the bedroom lights. But no one talks about the fundamentals of pooping, and so many—even the highest of achievers—spiral into a quagmire of poor habits and toilet-anxiety.

You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong will teach

What is a “normal” bowel movement? What do different colors mean? Is there a wrong way to sit? Is there a better way to wipe? The intricate connection between your brain and your Why do you suddenly need to find the restroom right before your turn at karaoke and why does stress make you constipated? How to harness your gut’s microbiome to boost your How does your lifestyle influence your microbiome, and how can your microbiome, in turn, reshape you? The three Ps of having a perfect A simple framework to transform your bowel habits based on years of gastroenterological expertise. And much more… Here, you’ll learn the tools to achieve bowel consistency, ease, and—yes, joy—so that your gut flows on autopilot and you live your life without obsessing about the in short, poophoria.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Science, Audiobook, Self Help, Medical, Biology

Audible Audio

First published April 7, 2026

About the author

Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH is an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the “Ask A Doctor” columnist for The Washington Post where she translates complex medical topics into must-read insights—with a touch of humor—for millions each week. A graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Pasricha earned her medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her training includes an internal medicine residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and gastroenterology and motility fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital. Currently, Dr. Pasricha serves as director of the Institute for Gut-Brain Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, leading an NIH-funded research laboratory at the forefront of gut-brain science. Her work has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Network Open, and Nature Reviews.

Reviews

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️]

This is your PSA to bring up pooping at the dinner table.💩

Told with humour, relatability, and respect, this book plunges (lol) into common misconceptions, doubts, worries, and tips for making sure your bowel movements are as easy as you can make them be. 

What stood out to me was how we ALL go to the toilet AND we are all aware how widespread awkwardness around pooping is; yet bathroom anxiety and poor toilet habits still persist due to a general lack of open discussion around bowel health.

It explores how fibre, exercise, coffee, sleep, even the shape of the toilet can impact our need to go, and the ease of going.

Importantly, we should never feel awkward or silly for going to our health provider if something feels off. 

Let’s just normalise talking about what comes out - I mean, we all love talking about what we eat.
Saying that, I probably won’t be bringing this up in my work meeting tomorrow…

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[Zac McCray]

Short and sweet, I recommend this book to anyone who has ever pooped.

[Sonya]

This book is amazing!Dr Pasricha is a witty storyteller who also clearly cares for her patients. So informative for anyone who has been told their GI issues are all in their heads. I found myself laughing out loud so many times while also learning so much about gut health. Can’t wait to recommend to others!

[Jeff Moreau]

What a different and interesting book! It starts out trying to remove some of the stigma around the discussion of poop. It has been a taboo topic for so many of us for so much of our life, and yet it is a natural reality that has real impacts on your day-to-day life. Throughout the book, Dr. Pasricha shares her expertise while passing on knowledge that she wishes her patients had been taught elsewhere.

Interested in learning a little more about the gut microbiome?... curious about women's gut health and how it can be altered?... feel like you have "unique" poo problems that separate you from everyone else? (this book says they're less unique than you think)... want to know what causes silver poop?... or just want to potentially prevent the passing on of generational toilet trauma? Well, this book covers all those topics and more :)

Note: I found this book because it was recommended by John Green (the author, vlogger, and humanitarian). After starting it, I also saw it mentioned on SNL.

(I would score this as a 4.5/5, but I'm rounding up to a 5 for Goodreads and their whole-number rating)

[Heinrich DuBose-Schmitt]

This book represents the very apex of all human literature. I believe every man and woman should read it. Filled with insights and humor you will be regularly moved ... and maybe join #teambidet. Here's a summary: pooping once every one to three days is normal; talk about this topic; more fiber, even supplements; don't sit too long; leave your phone out of the bathroom; and remember that poophoria is achievable -- butt above all, discuss pain with your doctor immediately; that's not "all in your head".

[Grace H]

Gut microbiome health starts the very day we are born. What I loved about this book is how it relies heavily on science to give very simple steps for reducing the chance of colon cancer, Parkinson’s, and many more serious medical issues.

If I was to give the briefest synopsis:
- increase fiber consumption
- reduce sodium and deli meats
- completely cut ultra processed foods and alcohol
- create a regular rhythm when you first wake up of going to the bathroom (even if nothing happens)
- get a bidet

[Zoe Zeid]

Round up to 4.5. A super cute book about the science and social stigmas of poop. I learned a lot about the science aspect and will be more considerate with my diet. I also will think more about the gut/brain connection. If you want to follow along on my poop journey, friend me on PoopMap!!

[Stacy]

This book was fantastic.  It was fun to read, not too long, and it was full of really interesting information.  As the author addresses, poop is somewhat of a taboo subject.  As a society we typically don't discuss anything to do with it in polite society.  Yet we all do it.  So I appreciated getting this high level overview of what's going on in our bodies, and then what's going on when the poop comes out.  

Here are some of my main take aways from the book.  (and this is my summary, so there is a good chance I've misinterpreted or misunderstood something).  In no particular order:

Poop colors.  This fascinated me.  Your body's bile and gut bacteria make the typical brown color.  But Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple are all fine.  (and brown of course).  But if you have Red, black, white, or silver there is something probably something seriously wrong and you should go to your doctor.  

There are three P's to pooping.  Propulsion, Pliability, and Pelvic Floor.  

There is a poop scale (The Bristol Stool Form Scale) that ranges from 1 to 7.  1 being like rabbit pellets, and 7 being watery.  #4 is considered the ideal (like a sausage, smooth and soft)

Your colon is removing liquid from your poop as it journeys through.  The longer the journey, the drier/harder it will be.  Which can be very painful uncomfortable.  When the urge to poop hits, don't ignore it.  

You can condition (or train) your body to poop at a certain time.  Like pavlov with the dogs, you can positively reward your body (either by drinking coffee or taking a laxative) to poop, and then continue until it does it on its own.

Pooping just a few times a week is normal.  So is pooping 3 times a day.  Everyone is different but in this 'range' it's considered normal.  

There is a connection between trauma as a child (injury, illness, abuse) that manifests into a higher likelihood of IBS or other issues.

There seems to be a correlation between having ulcers as a young adult (or mid adult) and developing Parkinson's.  

Stress or anxiety is a clear cause of IBS.

Positioning is a huge key for an easier poop.  If having trouble start by getting your knees over your waist (prop your feet on something to elevate them)

Bidets are highly recommended instead of wiping.  Or use a 'dabbing' technique to minimize irritation.  

Almost 50% of women experience some form of IBS during their periods.  And of course the amount of studies focusing on just women is incredibly low. 

olderl women, if you have 'new bloating' see your doctor.  This is a top indicator of ovarian cancer.
It's relatively common for people to become constipated while traveling. 

Your colon isn't as active at night so you shouldn't be waking up to poop. (talk to your doctor if you do).  Your colon is most active up to an hour after you wake, best time to poop.

Medications to help you go (or to prevent) are safe to use and you don't become addicted or dependent on them.  If you need them, use them.  Don't take antibiotics BEFORE you get diarrhea.  (In fact, don't take them at all and let it run it's course).  Instead use bismuth subsalicylate.  This is also good to use to help prevent gas.

Hemorrhoids are very common, most everyone has them. They usually resolve on their own. If you get it surgically removed it will likely leave a skin tag. Fiber helps (take psyllium)

There was a lot of other interesting information. Studies. Stories. And Dr Pasricha’s humor was top notch. I really enjoyed the tone of this book and I wish I had listened to it on audiobook. I learned so much about a regular body function, and it’s shocking that so much of it was new information. I’d recommend this book to anyone.

[Christine The Uncorked Librarian]

My husband and I listened to this one on the way up to MGH for my colonoscopy...the irony, LOL.

As someone with IBD—ulcerative colitis—I knew much of the information from 22+ years of experience, so it was nice to feel a bit heard and validated. I appreciate the author's knowledge and passion while also trying to break the stigma around talking about poop and women's health (and the gaslighting and lack of research that comes with being a woman, still, even in 2026).

I also have family members who think my disease is "embarrassing," which is hurtful but also a bummer since they suffer from digestive issues but won't talk to anyone about them/seek medical or professional support.

If you struggle with IBS, IBD, stomach problems, or ya know, pooping in general, this is a solid, informative, and empathetic read. The author will also help guide you if your bathroom habits are healthy or not—and when to seek medical care.

Lastly, the anecdotes shared have the potential to make you feel not so alone or atypical. Even with IBD, I didn't realize how many people still suffer from many of my symptoms. The stats are a bit surprising.

A quick note on the audiobook: I would have preferred a physical copy (none of my libraries had one) over the audiobook to skip sections that weren't relevant to me (running marathons and pregnancy). Of course, I just "fast forwarded" a bit through them. The audiobook read slowly for me, maybe because I knew much of the info, but I listened to it at a higher speed just fine. It’s pretty short and fast.

I am grateful for books and research like this. They help support people and change their lives.

[JC]

[4.25/5]

The best book about shit you will ever read. Genuinely, this is very well-written and crafted with intention to cover pretty much every common (and uncommon) question you might have about your gut health. I picked this up for two reasons. First, I have become extremely paranoid about colon cancer; it seems like it is everywhere with young, big name celebs passing from it. With more and more news stories about its increasing diagnoses among young people, people in my weightlifting class are swapping fiber tips... The colon is the thing right now. So get educated! Second, John Green recommended it, and, as you can maybe tell from the reviews, Nerdfighters really will take any book rec.

I highly recommend this as a straightforward, dense but approachable guide to keeping your body healthy. She covers topics from color, formation, fiber intake, preventing the runs during your runs (lol), the brain-gut connection, and more. I do wish she had covered a bit more around cancer screenings (like, many practitioners skepticism around send-away tests, etc.) but I also have a specific paranoia around this. Either way, this is where to start to make sure your insides are running properly, highly recommend on audio.

[Caitlin]

A short, very accessibly written pop-science look at how we can talk about and improve our gut health and poop!

None of the chapters go into depth on any of the research but it's meant to be a conversation starter more than anything.

I'm about to become the very annoying friend who makes half the people she knows read this too.

[Kate]

Entertaining and fascinating. I’ll never look at poop the same again!

[Savannah]

Absolutely fascinating!!!!

[Jason McCracken]

It turns out I already know way more about shit than I realised.

[Nicole Kamrass]

Phenomenal. Funny, educational, and accessible. If, like me, you're already super interested in this topic, you will love it. If you're not, I think by the end you just might want to talk about your gut and poop a lot more. I am recommending this book to everyone I know.

[Margaret Heller]

What a charming book. And many interesting pieces of information I certainly will not be sharing with you so you better read it yourself.

[Joe]

Despite the topic, this is not a bathroom read. The content is too detailed to really help with relaxing your external anal sphincter, but this is not a criticism. It is incredibly interesting and the neurogastric connections are so promising for future treatments and the understanding of nebulous symptoms. I immediately purchased psyllium husk and set a timer for potty time so I don’t sit too long. I have not ordered a bidet yet, but I’m using my time on the throne to think about it. The biggest impact is positive visibility for a topic that is often taboo and embarrassing for most people, but if we suffer in silence or resign to it being all in our heads, then no forward “propulsion” will ever get made.

[Ismay]

:-D I don't usually read this type of thing but author and her father are our NIDDK funded physician-scientists so gotta support. She does a good job making biology accessible via humor.

[Adam DelGarbino]

Eat more fiber

[Zehava (Joyce)]

I simply could not resist a book with this title. This book is full of useful information and it is both informative and funny (I mean a book about poop has to be funny, right?) If you have issues in this area (or even if you don’t)I highly recommend this book. The audiobook is well narrated by the author.

[Ashley]

I never write reviews, but this book is a life changer. If you're reading the title of this book and laugh, smirk, judge, or roll your eyes, then you are exactly the person this book was meant for.

I have been struggling horribly with digestive health for a little over a year. Long story short, it was discovered I had an H. Pylori infection wrecking havoc in my body, resulting in a grueling 2 week antibiotic treatment of over 20 pills each day. Pro: the infection is gone! Con: your body will never be the same again after taking that many antibiotics. Thus I have now found myself deep in the world of learning about GI health.

This book is not just about poop (get comfortable with that term), it is about how our GI systems work. One of the most important topics this book covers is the gut-brain connection. So much of what occurs in our guts is influenced in how we think and live our lives. At some stage in your life, you will have digestive issues. Every person can benefit from reading more about these processes.

Not convinced yet? Here are some crazy things I learned that this book gets into:
- Did you know humans and dogs are the only animals with bowel problems? It's because we're the only animals to restrict our bowel movement schedule, and not go whenever wherever.
- Did you know that most patients of neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's, have some sort of large GI incident in their history (i.e. viral/bacterial infection, long term antibiotic use, IBD, etc)?
- Did you know that there is a really strong connect between people who have IBS/IBD and people who had particularly stressful childhoods/formative years?

I am in immense awe of this author. Trisha is a highly talented GI doctor/instructor who started her research in this field in HIGH SCHOOL, grew up learning from a father in the same field, and had residency training at Johns Hopkins. She is so funny and witty, and I was thoroughly entertained while being educated through this whole book. If you don't want to read this to learn more, at least read it to entertain yourself. The audiobook is also amazing. 10/5 stars if I could.

[charlotte]

i really like the ethos of this book, even if i think it over promises a bit. the best part was when she explained the science behind IBS and more information on the gut-brain connection. learned some more context behind some pop-science stuff (leaky gut) and other things i will take with me (like that taking capsaicin capsules actually HELPED people with ibs?!). extremely readable, but spent way too much time in each chapter talking about how poop is a taboo subject but it shouldn’t be. i’m pretty sure if you’re reading this book you’re already in agreement with her on that. the takeaways are unfortunately things that most people already know at this point - take psyllium husk, don’t sit on the toilet for too long, don’t eat ultra processed food. but overall, i appreciate an easy to read book that teaches me about a subject im always wondering about!

[Kate]

Not quite as life changing as John Green described, but still pretty interesting! The section on the gut-brain connection was fascinating and I wished it had been longer. As an Autistic who has often felt like my mental health is held hostage by my gut, I was hoping for more answers. I'll just have to try the psyllium husk and hope for the best! The constant puns got a little tiring, but I did appreciate the author's matter of fact way of talking about a taboo subject. The section on fear of pooping in public and changing your entire diet and routine to avoid this baffled me, maybe this extreme poop anxiety is an American thing?
Either way, I hope Dr Pasricha writes another book all about the gut-brain connection in much more detail! 🙏

[Cecilia]

4.75 stars

Despite Pasricha's crazy use of em-dashes (and coming from someone who remains an em-dash enthusiast even in the AI era!), this was such a great read. Her philosophy (which is continued from her dad) about validating GI symptoms and believing patients is inspiring, touching and actually pretty radical. I also laughed out loud several times -- I mean what is funnier than potty humor? Besides being entertaining, I learned a lot and will now be taking fiber pills religiously. Highly recommend!!

Read as an e-book on my Kobo. (Was taken a bit by surprise that the conclusion was at about 50%, but that was due to the impressively bulky references and index sections).

[Morgan]

Never thought I’d be sitting here giving a book about bowel movements a 5 ⭐️ review… but here we are! This book is informative, funny and the wealth of information is written in such a digestible (hehe 🤭) way. Dr. Pasricha seems like such a genuine and curious scientist, which makes for the best kinds of doctors. If more doctors were like her, healthcare would probably be in a much better place. This is a great read if you’re looking to learn more about our complex digestive system or if you’re struggling with issues of your own, the answers very well might be inside of this book.

[.]

Read at the recommendation of John Green. An important topic worthy of destigmatization, presented in an accessible, engaging—at times even playful—manner by a scientist/physician/researcher gastroenterologist who grew up in the home of a gastroenterologist. Organized so that you can skip to the parts most relevant to your experience. Will be of special interest to my peri/menopause cohort as we navigate our whole new world.

[Evelyn DS]

I get a pass for reading this because I am a healthcare professional lol. I thought this book was very readable and emphasized the importance of gut health for more than JUST pooping well. I do recommend this book to everyone as a fun and informative read. However, if you’re wanting more specific treatments for conditions like IBS or Crohn’s, this book will not provide it. But you will have fun facts to share at the dinner table!

[Andrea Imhof]

I love the enthusiasm with which the author narrates this book and shares her love of poop. What a refreshing take on a topic usually shrouded in silence and shame! This book was appropriately short and sweet, clearly written, a fascinating deep dive into GI science and the research behind the gut brain connection. Recommend!

[Vee Bee]

This book was a birthday gift from my sister who believes we are all too uptight about going #2. I had to place another book’s book jacket over the book bc it disturbed my husband.

Anyway, I did learn some things like: the importance of gut health, how childhood trauma affects gut health and how constipated the world is.

[mal sage]

a quick, insightful read recommended by John Green. definitely worth reading to better understand how our microbiome and gastrointestinal systems function—provides great introductory information on all of this. and I appreciate the attempt to reduce stigma on the topic!