It's a question as old as YouTube: Why do some Internet videos go viral while others sit and collect virtual dust?

It's not an easy question to answer — there's no secret formula for viral video success (unless, of course, you're Justin Bieber). But that didn't stop Twitter from exploring the phenomenon in a recent study, examining three viral video examples for signs of consistency.

Twitter's UK research team shared the results in a blog post Monday, and while the secret sauce for "going viral" may still be a mystery, there was some insight to be found. "There are no rules to 'virality,'" wrote the post's author, Gordon MacMillan, Twitter UK's editorial manager. "While some ignite, and spread like wildfire across the web, the growth of others is much more measured, like ripples spreading across a lake."

The research team focused on three videos: a series on Vine called "Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal"; astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield singing David Bowie's "Space Oddity" while orbiting earth aboard the International Space Station; and Dove's Real Beauty Sketches marketing campaign. All three videos took different paths toward "virality," and all of them provide video future video creators with a different tidbit of advice. Twitter also made its own video to highlight the viral video path from each example above. The blue dots represent tweets promoting the viral video while yellow dots represent retweets.

Here are Twitter's key takeaways from each viral video:

Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal

Ryan gosling won't eat his cereal https://t.co/E6QDOOOUHA — Best Vines (@TheFunnyVines) June 7, 2013

Call in favors to your influential friends: The Vine videos of Ryan Gosling, short clips of him batting away spoonfuls of cereal, were created by @RyanWMcHenry, but the videos really took off after they were shared by @BestVinesEver and @VineLoop. Twitter referred to this process as "seeding," essentially planting the video in the right hands to ensure its reach is maximized. You may not have an extensive Twitter following, but all it takes is one influential person to share on your behalf. Commander Chris Hadfield Sings "Space Oddity"

Film something (extremely) unique: Commander Chris Hadfield had the opportunity to serenade the camera while floating through space — and he capitalized on it. The video has over 17 million views since it was posted on May 12. In traditional viral video fashion, the clip relied heavily on early adopters, amassing 90% of its shares in the video's first three days. There's a pretty good chance you won't be able to float through space for your next home video, but you get the idea: do something that's going to turn some heads. Dove Real Beauty Sketches

Spark a meaningful conversation: Dove's Real Beauty Sketches campaign didn't get the same instant uptick in views that the Hadfield's video did, but it amassed more than three times the number of total views. Why? Because it addresses real world problems that keep people talking. (It even sparked a viral Mashable post highlighting the campaign.) "This video showed less burnout than the others, and there were also fewer influencer-induced spikes," MacMillan said. "Instead, conversation existed in clusters of communities spread around the world — showing the value of local engagement." You need to address an issue that keeps people talking, or better yet, fires them up.

What's your favorite viral video? Share it with us in the comments section below.

Image: Twitter