A video showcasing a man's minimalist approach to packing for a trip away with friends has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was shared by @emilyshires1 and has received more than 2.3 million views since it was first posted on February 1. A message overlaid on the video reads: "Men baffle me …"
A voice in the video says, "So, my boyfriend goes to Portugal tomorrow with his friends and just thought I'd show you what he's taking," before pointing out a few items laid out on a bed.
"This is it, by the way," the voice adds. The items the boyfriend is taking include a dirty towel, some boxers, socks and a toiletries bag containing a converter adapter, an empty bottle of conditioner and a passport. A caption shared with the post simply reads: "Good luck hun see ya when you're home."
The boyfriend's unconventional way of packing for a trip could be down to how men's brains are wired differently from those of women.
The findings of a December 2013 study from Penn Medicine published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that "male brains are structured to facilitate connectivity between perception and coordinated action, whereas female brains are designed to facilitate communication between analytical and intuitive processing modes."
In a statement released by Penn Medicine, Ragini Verma, an associate professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania who led the study, said the findings show "a stark difference-and complementarity-in the architecture of the human brain that helps provide a potential neural basis as to why men excel at certain tasks, and women at others."
For example, on average, "men are more likely better at learning and performing a single task at hand, like cycling or navigating directions, whereas women have superior memory and social cognition skills, making them more equipped for multitasking and creating solutions that work for a group," the statement said.
'How Do Men Survive'
The latest viral video has floored users on TikTok, such as Samantha Bladen, who posted, "I'm absolutely crying hahahahahahhahahahahaahahaha," while shinelikeadiamond.p wrote: "I'm dying."
Dkdkfkfk asked, "How do men survive honestly," and @user28163015 commented: "Men are wild."
User angel noted, "the dirty towel and empty bottle," while wildbloombox posted: "I'm sorry but what is the actual point of that conditioner."
Sandeep Kaur wrote: "The dirty towel got me. the response will probably be it's only going to get dirty."
Em asked, "Dude did he pack while wasted? Cause I've done that before and god damn I wished someone helped me..," and faith added: "girl i'm so concerned please save him."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok and email. This video has not been independently verified.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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