I remember while studying abroad in Spain, locals used to tell me that they could always spot Americans because we were lugging our big reusable water bottles everywhere. I can’t remember a time when I was there that I didn’t have my 40-ounce Hydro Flask with me.
I am far from the only American preoccupied with drinking water. According to Our World in Data, the United States was the top consumer of municipal water (for drinking, cooking, and washing) until 2003, when China surpassed us. Still, Americans are holding on to second place and sit steadily above most other countries.
Compared with the European Union, for example, U.S. adults are drinking an average of 57.5 ounces of water per day, while British adults are drinking an average of 33.8 ounces per day, according to polling from CivicScience reported by Newsweek.
So why do Americans seem to be guzzling water more than almost anyone else? Here are the factors driving the obsession.
1. Strong health messaging
Everyone’s daily water needs vary, which is why the FDA and CDC don’t provide specific hydration recommendations. Previously, the rule of thumb was to drink eight glasses of eight ounces of water per day—advice that likely came from the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board in 1945.
Nowadays, the U.S. Institute of Medicine and Dietary Reference Intakes, among other health institutions, recommends that men drink about 15.5 cups or 3.7 liters of fluid per day, while women should drink about 11.5 cups or 2.7 liters of fluid per day—which includes fluids from water, other beverages, and food.
That’s much higher than the European Food Safety Authority recommendations that men drink 10.5 cups or 2.5 liters of water per day and women drink 8.3 cups or 2 liters per day.
Registered dietitian Callie Krajcir, who specializes in bladder health, thinks the amplified messaging from the American government and health care providers encourages more water consumption compared to other countries.
“It’s just the success of the health care system drilling people with the message of, ‘Being hydrated is good for your health,’” Krajcir tells Fortune.
Water is essential to survival, as nearly all major bodily systems depend on water to function. According to the Mayo Clinic, benefits of hydration include:
- Moistens tissues in the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Lubricates joints.
- Helps prevent constipation.
- Regulates body temperature.
- Helps dissolve minerals and other nutrients to make them more accessible for the body.
- Carries nutrients and oxygen to cells.
- Lessens the burden on the kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products.
- Protects body organs and tissues.
“Water is just the foundation of health in my opinion,” Krajcir says.
2. Social media hype
@iamsoldana Guys, back me up here. Is my little brother’s water bottle unecessarily monstrous or what? How is it practical to carry this around? @jamescretan #american #usaculture #americancultureshock #waterbottles ♬ original sound - Soldana
Krajcir also points to social media as a factor in Americans’ obsession with hydration. She sees videos that tout how good water is for everything from skin to mental health to its role in reducing bloating and constipation.
There are countless hydration challenges on #WaterTok, full of influencers who share their hydration hacks and water "recipes" that include adding electrolytes, flavors, and even chia seeds.
“We’ve made [drinking water] into a trendy thing,” she says.
3. The trendiness of water
To understand how trendy drinking water has become, just look at the proliferation of water bottles. Owala and Hydro Flask have become status symbols and travel companions, as people personalize them with stickers and tote them everywhere they go.
You can even buy bottles that hold as much as a gallon of water, with encouraging phrases and hourly markers to encourage your daily hydration. And while apps that track exercise and calories have grown in popularity, so have those that track how much water you drink.
Krajcir thinks that water has become a symbol of well-being for many Americans—so much so that toting around a popular water bottle brand is a way to virtue signal how socially aware you are.
“Our culture has glamorized it. It’s a cool thing to carry around a Stanley cup,” says Krajcir. “It is just becoming trendier to be hydrated, which I am in full support of.”
More on water:
- The new fluoride study dividing the public health world as RFK Jr. calls for a ban on adding it to water
- Your reusable water bottle may be a breeding ground for strep and fecal bacteria. Here’s how to keep it clean
- The incredible health benefits of drinking enough water: New study highlights role in weight loss, migraines, and more
