What you experienced makes a lot of sense, even if it felt disproportionate in the moment.
The reaction wasn’t really about the object itself—it was about a sudden break in expectation. Spaces like bathrooms are mentally categorized as controlled and predictable. Your brain knows what belongs there: tiles, water, soap, familiar textures. When something appears that doesn’t match that pattern—especially something organic, irregular, or hard to identify—it immediately flags it as “out of place.”
And when something is out of place, the brain doesn’t start with calm curiosity.
It starts with caution.
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That response is deeply rooted. Humans are wired to notice anomalies quickly because, historically, the cost of ignoring a potential threat was much higher than the cost of overreacting to something harmless. So your brain leans toward the safer assumption first—even if that means briefly imagining worst-case scenarios.