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Some of these stories are lighthearted — a perfume trick here, a celebrity comparison there.
But some are next-level psychotic. Like lying to a color-blind partner or letting someone eat dog treats.
A survey in the UK found about one in nine couples say they love to prank each other on social media and share the reactions.
About 48% of participants said the pranks were most often intended to scare the partner, while 23% said they were done to make them look silly.
But even when couples treat pranks like fun online content, many still report friction as a result.
About 68% of partners said those pranks had led to arguments.
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Many women also shared stories of teasing, trolling, and humorous revenge tactics, which reminds me of the new breed of prank: clout-lighting.
It’s a mix of clout chasing and gaslighting, where extreme practical jokes are pulled on partners to get views, likes, or followers.
Some of them are harmless jokes, but a lot of them are aggressive, humiliating, and often calculated. Millions of people watch, because the more shocking they are, the more viral they will be.
The original video posted on TikTok by a woman claiming she gaslit her ex-boyfriend for two years has over 1.2 million likes. It also has nearly 4,000 comments, mostly from other women sharing their own stories of how they traumatized their partners.
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In this list, there are also stories of women taking extreme measures to escape toxic or harmful relationships.
Someone gaslit a partner into admitting infidelity, while another woman manipulated her ex to secure child support.
In such cases, the tactics are less about cruelty and more about survival.
Research shows that when a relationship is controlling or unsafe, women often use whatever tools they have to reclaim power and protect themselves. Sometimes they might also get creative to get out of dangerous situations.
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But why exactly do we like to watch, read or share such stories?
It’s like peeking through a window you shouldn’t be looking through.
Part of you wants to scroll away and pretend you didn’t see a thing. Another part of you is hooked, waiting for the next chaotic moment.
It’s like reality TV but unfiltered and personal. There are no producers or scripts, it’s just humans being absurd and dramatic while the internet eats it up.
Experts say it can be empathy that keeps us hooked to such stories.
Commenters are usually split — some say fair dues are being given while others say it’s toxic behavior — but almost everyone keeps reading and watching.
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In some cases, clout-lighting could be seen as a form of emotional cruelty.
“Whether it's for a million subscribers on YouTube or a few hundred friends on Facebook, these videos have one aim - to incite laughter at the expense of the victim, who in some cases can be in some real distress,” says Paola Diana, a feminist campaigner and author.
“The reactions to these pranks are always going to be extreme, so why would anyone want this shared with their family and friends, let alone the whole world? It's a way of making the victim of the prank look unstable.”
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A prank is basically any planned surprise meant to scare, embarrass, or upset someone.
Sometimes, the person on the receiving end wonders if they’re overreacting, especially if the person doing the prank brushes it off as a joke.
Pranks might seem harmless, but they can dig up old trauma and make you feel constantly on edge. They can also affect the trust in a relationship.
It can be even worse when videos of the prank are shared online for laughs.
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