“There's So Much You Can Crush”: Why Hydraulic Press Videos Are So Popular and So Satisfying | Well, actually

There are many ways to relax. You can take a walk, call a friend, or read a book. But sometimes it rains, friends are busy, or your book is boring. What then?

I have a suggestion: watch as random, unrelated objects are mercilessly crushed in the mechanical jaws of a hydraulic press.

I love videos of hydraulic presses! I like to watch it between meetings, after a hard day at work, when I'm trying to turn off my brain before bed. They're cheaper than a massage and watching a hydro flask crumple like tissue under the pressure of heavy machinery feels like a warm bath to my brain.

Although this sounds like a niche business, it is not. There are several YouTube channels dedicated to hydraulic press videos, but the Hydraulic Press Channel is the most popular with more than 9.7 million subscribers. His videos regularly receive tens of millions of views. For example, the top 100 best hydraulic press torques | The “Satisfying Crushing Compilation” has over 63 million views and features a press crushing a stack of sticky notes, a Rubik's Cube, a pumpkin, crayons and a Furby. I like the crayons and pumpkin the best because I like how the wax and pulp oozes out the sides.

“Our most popular videos are compilations of random content,” says Lauri Vuohensilta, the channel’s founder.

Vuohensilta, a factory owner in Finland, started producing the videos in 2015. He says it has been “a long-time dream” to have a YouTube channel. He wanted his videos to reach a large audience and knew he had to appeal to an international audience. But he was worried that his English wasn't good enough to tell them. Inspired by videos he saw of a glowing metal ball melting through objects like a block of ice or jelly, he realized he didn't need to talk – he could just film clips in his workshop.

“The press is perfect,” he says. “You just put the objects there and pull the lever.” It was easy to come up with ideas for the film. “There is so much that can be destroyed,” he says.

He says a lot of his audience is like me: “People who just want to see interesting and satisfying clips that look good. Something light after a long day.”

But why does watching a Furby get squished in goo feel so satisfying? And why are so many millions of people obsessed with these videos?

“Oh my God, [hydraulic press videos] are so addictive,” says Dr. Rosanna Guadagno, associate professor of persuasive information systems at the University of Oulu, in a video call. “I’ll take a closer look after our call.”

There are a number of factors that determine whether content goes viral online, says Guadagno: the timing, the number of followers the poster has, and the emotional response it triggers. “Unfortunately, algorithms have discovered that outrage is one of the things that goes viral and keeps us engaged on social media apps,” she says. But users also want to share positive emotions: “Things that we find funny, sweet and interesting also go viral.”

Additionally, no cultural context or understanding is required to enjoy a video about a hydraulic press. Everyone, no matter what background, can be happy when something is crushed. “It appeals to everyone’s inner child,” she says.

Paradoxically, the fact that it is a somewhat quirky corner of the internet also contributes to the videos' popularity.

“People love to share surprising, interesting or remarkable content because it gives them social significance,” explains Dr. Jonah Berger, associate professor of marketing at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On. “It makes them look smart, special and informed.”

The brutality of watching something being crushed by heavy machinery can also be emotionally liberating, says Dr. Charlynn Ruan, Founder and CEO of Thrive Psychology Group.

“It makes perfect sense to me that these are popular,” says Ruan. “These videos tap into our natural human desire for action and destruction and the cathartic feeling of building or destroying something.”

She says the videos remind her of rage rooms where you can spend time smashing furniture or electronics in exchange for money. Ruan sometimes recommends rage rooms to her clients so they can tap into their anger and aggression in a healthy, contained way (and not have to clean up afterwards). This can be particularly helpful for women, she says, who are often conditioned not to express their anger.

While crushing crayons on a screen isn't quite the same as smashing a TV with a baseball bat, Ruan says that visualization is powerful and we can still experience some of the same emotional benefits from simply imagining. She says that the videos are “not a replacement for physical expression” but that they can be “great little cathartic moments in the middle of the day or when you don't have time or space to express yourself in other ways.”

So next time you want to relax or release some frustration, watch a video of some apples or candles being crushed. My personal advice: Take a quick look at the pieces that are breaking the glass – these actually stress me out.