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The internet is moving on from milkcrates and onto wire hangers to satisfy its need for bizarre and viral challenges.
The wire hanger challenge first went viral in 2020 and a slew of new social media users are trying it out again, hoping to see whether the strange effect will actually work on them.
The return of the ‘hanger reflex’ trend on TikTok has users putting coat hangers on their heads to see whether it will make them involuntarily turn.
You’re forgiven if it seems unbelievable that a hanger can make one’s head turn automatically, but apparently, scientists have tested it out and it’s a real bodily reflex.
Watch these peeps freaking themselves out with the hanger reflex:
The Hanger Reflex
*yes this is how I’m spending my Friday night* pic.twitter.com/vEXW6vHYhY
— GOC (@GOC_Wrestling) May 21, 2022
Watch on TikTok
옷걸이를 벌리고 머리에 쓰면 목이 저절로 돌아간대요 pic.twitter.com/OnmIiEz2LL
— 비디오계정 (@b_ideo) September 24, 2020
Mashable references a 2015 Japanese study that tested 120 adults and found that heads do indeed react that way involuntarily when the hanger places pressure on either side:
Today I learned about the hanger reflex and so should you! 1/8 pic.twitter.com/wv3ARfh4C7
— David Schoppik (@schoppik) May 18, 2022
Men’s Health has more:
…the involuntary movement happens as a result of the wire hanger applying pressure to the unilateral fronto-temporal region of the brain.
“In 85.4% of the trials, head rotation was observed in the direction that coincided with the side compressed by the hanger,” wrote researchers. “There were no differences in responses between genders. The incident rate of the hanger reflex was remarkably high and most likely represents a prevalent phenomenon in humans.”
Researchers have suggested that this “hanger reflex” could actually even be used to treat patients suffering from cervical dystonia, which is a painful condition which causes the muscles in the neck to contract involuntarily.
Since the sample size of the study was so small, it makes sense that it doesn’t work for everyone:
Watch on TikTok
I tried it out and it just gave me a headache, most likely because I was overthinking it.
Either way, the viral challenge has heads turning.
[sources:mashable&menshealth]
