Why we all love to... wait for it

What connects the disappearance of Carlee Russell, bottles rolling down stairs and a BBC sex scandal? Our collective obsession with speculation

There are certain types of stories that are guaranteed to thrill audiences. They surprise, delight, elicit emotions and play to our base instincts.

In the world of social video they are easily categorised. Fails, life hacks, LOL, satisfying, cute, insider, weird, plus any other BuzzFeed content verticals from their heyday in the early 2010s. One of the most engaging categories of all? Well, that would be… Wait. For. It.

We’re all suckers for a tease. Our curiosity loves a gap. And if a real-life crush can be best explained as a lack of information, a really good ‘wait for it’ can feel like a full blown love affair.

I make this point because of the collective confusion about why the internet has been awash with videos of glass bottles rolling down stairs to see if they smash. If you’ve missed this then let the one-minute video below be your guide. It has been watched more than 296 million times since it was posted last month.