Bizarre new TikTok trend sees men dip their balls in soy sauce to see if their junk can 'taste it'
A 2013 study claiming mice can taste with their testicles has now led to social media testing out the theory.
The study, first published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was reportedly discovered by a TikTok user Regan. He went on to challenge social media users to “please dip your balls in something [because] it’s for science and I must know.”
TikTokers were eager to take part in the experiment, with user Alx James basting his ballsack with soy sauce while sitting in his car with takeout food. While James thankfully doesn't show the actual application, he says he was inspired by the portion of the study that claims “the amino acids inside soy sauce can also be detected by the balls.”
According to James, his 'testicular taste test' was a roaring success, the New York Post reports.
“Oh my God, I can taste the salt!” he is seen exclaiming with joy, adding “that’s ridiculous” before the clip ends.
The video went viral on TikTok and garnered over a million likes and thousands of comments.
“When I was younger, I thought in 2020 we’d have flying cars but no it’s just guys dipping their junk in soy sauce,” one social media commenter quipped.
“All the Asian food restaurants are wondering ‘why r so many people coming in for a packet of soy sauce?’" another joked.
“I wish I had balls so I could try this,” one female TikToker grimaced.
That said, several other social media users were inspired to conduct their own experiments.
GayGod, also known as YouTuber Matthew Lush, concurred with James's findings in another viral video, saying he could detect the soy sauce and orange juice.
But Dr. Kieran Kennedy told Men’s Health there's no medical evidence “to back up any claims that men (of any species) can actually taste things through their junk."
The mental health advocate, based in Melbourne, Australia, explained that while various tissues, including the testes, harbor taste receptors, there's absolutely no proof “that any animal can actually ’taste’ via these receptors like we’d taste something from the mouth.”
Nonetheless, this latest TikTok trend is nowhere as reckless as swallowing Tide Pods, swallowing scoops of cinnamon powder, or trying to drain a pool using paper towels.