The Theories That Took Over
The comment sections were a study in collective creativity.
Some of the most popular guesses included:
A garlic press (wrong size)
A fishing tool (wrong material)
A medical clamp (wrong mechanism)
A candle snuffer (wrong shape)
A crafting device (close, but no)
People zoomed in on tiny details. They analyzed shadows. They compared it to other objects in the frame to estimate scale.
Strangers collaborated like detectives on a case.
And that’s the magic of a mysterious item: it transforms passive scrolling into active investigation.
The Psychology Behind It
There’s a reason these posts go viral.
Humans are wired to seek closure.
When presented with incomplete information, the brain experiences what psychologists call the “information gap.” That gap creates mild cognitive tension — and we’re motivated to resolve it.
It’s the same reason:
