How did intimate functions come to be considered intimate?

I was walking back to my office just now, and the following train of thought ran through my mind. As usual, since I work on a college campus, there are many beautiful young women to see, and my thoughts went to where they usually go when I see them.

Then I began thinking that most of these women are probably having sex with someone (since, alas, I can’t be the only man in the world), and in looking at all the people, I realized that there had to be an awful lot of sex going on. I then imagined them all doing it at once, together, in some sort of intergalactic orgy.

Then, I thought that this couldn’t happen because people tend to be private about sex. And not only sex, but functions of elimination are considered too intimate to share with others, if privacy can be arranged (it takes a certain amount of wealth to arrange for single room occupancy for an outhouse).

As usual, I began to question this, wondering why these things are considered intimate. They are natural functions, and everybody does them, so why do we want to do them in private? Then, attached to the “why” of it, came the question of how it came to be that we seek privacy; that we even conceive of “intimate” functions.

Was it always thus? Is this an instinct? If so, why? How did it develop? How does it help us? Does it help us? Would we be better off if we didn’t have a notion of intimate privacy, and we all did these things in public without a second thought? Would demystification serve any good—like reducing shame?

So fluther, I leave it to you to supply me with your thoughts about this.