What's the deal with everyone hating short-handed?

I play a room that runs 1/2 and 1/3 and sometimes 2/5 gets going on the weekends. It's a fairly strong room but it has a stratification of players' strengths. In all about 100 regulars + 2-300 semi-regulars (once a monthish) + a continuous flow of incidentals - the pilot from Brazil, the heartbroken Lithuanian, etc.

Everyone in this room, with the exception of me and a few good regs, hates playing anything 6 handed or less. The INSTANT the table gets down to 5 people start asking "if we're breaking?", "when are we breaking?", "where to transfer?", "when are new players coming?"..

Does this malaise towards short-handed exist in your room? And if so, why do you think that is?