Perhaps you remember a viral question that couples have been asking each other the past couple years: Would you still love me if I was a worm? It’s a nonsensical, yet harmless, question. Of course, you, a human being, would not opt to date a worm. But if your partner magically turned into one and they asked you to stick around, maybe you’d consider it.
There’s almost always some sort of couple-related test or series of questions going viral: asking men questions that only women would likely know the answer to, the bird test, women asking their male partners to peel them oranges, the strawberry test, the “name a woman” trend. Clearly, I could go on. Now, there’s a new set of questions women are asking the men in their lives, and they’re all about prompting “rage bait.”
These women ask a series of four questions:
- Would you rather kiss someone else for $10 million or me for $10?
- Do you love me because I’m pretty or do you think I’m pretty because you love me?
- Would you be attracted to my identical sister if I had one?
- Would you rather never have met me or go out and cheat on me right now?
No matter how the male partner in each video responds, the women are almost always ready to ask a follow-up question. It’s often one that makes the man do a double-take, questioning whether they gave their best answer or if they’ve been tricked into a setup. I haven’t seen any videos sway overwhelmingly into the territory of very messed-up responses, and I have seen some creative spins on the answers in a positive, complimentary way, like “I’d kiss you a million times” or “I love you and you’re pretty.” Gag, but it’s all good and innocent stuff.
“Rage bait” is essentially social media posts designed to evoke anger or frustration from the viewer for the sake of engagement: more views, more shares, more likes or comments. Even though it can present as fun and harmless, it can be detrimental in more serious instances. In the “rage bait questions” videos, no one is seen getting visibly upset or angry for the sake of engagement — everyone is in on the joke. But not all rage bait videos go over this seamlessly. Experts told Yahoo! just last month that “rage bait content” can even mirror traits of narcissism.
“The person being provocative and putting out that rage bait somehow turns out to be the victim because they got the reaction from others,” therapist Brianna Paruolo said in the Yahoo! interview. “Sometimes banter can feel like, ‘Hey, we have an inside [joke] going.’ But it can be a power struggle or a form of gaining power, which is not so healthy in a relationship.”
But even seemingly silly internet tests can be harmful to people in relationships. Most of them aren’t backed by any significant research, which means the results can simultaneously not reveal anything while also causing division, according to USA Today.
So whether or not you’re destined to ask or be asked, just have fun with it. Nothing is that serious, unless you’re being a real jerk with your answers. Then it probably is.
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