Don’t we all like torturing ourselves a little now and then? The most immediate answer will likely be a firm handshake. But when it comes to a tragedy we witness on our morning commute or news of violence on social media, we suddenly feel compelled by a strong, unexplainable pull to stare at the sight.
Scientists have been investigating why we can’t look away from disasters and some have suggested it’s the preventative mechanism that gives us crucial information about the possible danger. Another study even found that we react to and learn more from negative experiences than we do positive ones.
Given those strange workings of the human psyche, it’s only fair that a subreddit like r/MakeMeSuffer exists on Reddit, and that it’s home to a solid 1 million members. The community’s description keeps it simple, yet harrowingly effective: “If it hurts to look at, post it.” Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
#1 Shelter Workers Organize This Cat’s Birthday Hoping Someone Will Adopt Her, But No One Turns Up
Image credits: Mad_Hattr1
#2 True Pain
Image credits: Aggravating_Fox7859
#3 Ah Yes, The Drowning Seat
Image credits: Streetman245
Dr. John Mayer, a clinical psychologist at Doctor On Demand, has been researching what happens to our brains when we see destruction and he identified that a particular process in our brains is the one to blame. “A disaster enters into our awareness—this can be from a live source such as driving by a traffic accident or from watching a news report about a hurricane, a plane crash or any disaster," he explained to NBC News.
"This data from our perceptual system then stimulates the amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for emotions, survival tactics and memory). The amygdala then sends signals to the regions of the frontal cortex that are involved in analyzing and interpreting data. Next, the brain evaluates whether this data (awareness of the disaster) is a threat to you, thus judgment gets involved. As a result, the 'fight or flight' response is evoked."
#4 Mosquito Collection
Image credits: p3wdwa5h3r3
#5 Dental Practice Heads
Image credits: LifeButBetter
#6 P A I N
Image credits: blinkblinkfarza
Incredibly, "Witnessing violence and destruction, whether it is in a novel, a movie, on TV or a real life scene playing out in front of us in real time, gives us the opportunity to confront our fears of death, pain, despair, degradation and annihilation while still feeling some level of safety."
This phenomenon is also experienced in other situations, like standing at the edge of the cliff or when looking through the glass at a lion at the zoo. “We watch because we are allowed to ask ourselves ultimate questions with an intensity of emotion that is uncoupled from the true reality of the disaster.”
#7 Sad Suffering
Image credits: Chema626
#8 Antheraea Polyphemus... Basically A Tarantula With Wings
Image credits: Currynrice9728
#9 Friendly Reminder To Clean Your Keyboard
Image credits: Salarmot
#10 Good Old Cassette
Image credits: KKn_D
#11 The Amount Of Cicadas In My Pool Skimmer After One Day
Image credits: Naanderson2022
#12 Forbidden Chocolate
Image credits: FearmyBeard21
#13 The Water In Our School
Image credits: domika45
#14 Yikes
Image credits: notcanye
#15 Siberian Seasons. Frost & Mosquitoes
Image credits: DeepwebSubmarine
#16 Worst Bath Ever
Image credits: Bob_Troll
#17 Jogger's Nipple
Image credits: legojedi01
#18 Honey Coming Out From Power Socket. Guess What’s Behind It
Image credits: reddit.com
#19 Good Idea
Image credits: jack-natas
#20 Nooooooo Jesus Nooo
Image credits: BoyanPP
#21 Life
Image credits: Lmitation
#22 Cockroach Cake
Image credits: AstroyashSenpai69
#23 I Have Seen Your X-Ray Posts So I Bring You Face Mris
Image credits: reddit.com
#24 Bilk
Image credits: slim_alien
#25 Hooded Seals Inflate The Inside Of Their Noses To Impress Females
Image credits: bape_x_anime
#26 My Dad Had A Car Wreck. He Went Without A Bone Flap For 6 Months
Image credits: Pocketeer1
#27 Must Feel Great
Image credits: 092mlk
#28 Blobfish Are Not Actually That Ugly - Most Photos Are Taken After It Has Been Pulled Out Of The Water And Suffered Tissue Damage. Their Natural Habitat Is At Extremely Low Depths
Image credits: Fire_JB
#29 Cursed Cutting Board
Image credits: regian24
#30 Keep Smiling, Nothing To See Here
Image credits: ImCanc3r
#31 Ruined A Piece Of Art
Image credits: PrimaryResearcher870
#32 I Love “Coffee”
Image credits: Grykllx
#33 I Don't Know About The Rest Of You But I'm Offended
Image credits: Jeffthedrunk83
#34 Yeah.. I Think Face Swap Was A Bad Idea
Image credits: EnZeeeRu
#35 The Growth Of A Tick In The Span Of Two Weeks
Image credits: noodlemcfoodle
#36 No Words Needed
Image credits: BleenPaper
#37 Central American Paper Wasp Nest
Image credits: BananaMan6204
#38 Playing With A Bowling Ball
Image credits: thunde-r
#39 I Have Become The Cat Toy
Image credits: QuirkyWafer4
#40 Cold Snap
Image credits: Halfang
#41 Don’t Like Spiders? How About A Zombified Spider Reanimated By A Fungal Infestation?
Image credits: AeliosZero
#42 Well This Is One Way To F*ck Up A Test
Image credits: kalletramp
#43 Bubonic Plague
Image credits: Crazyinferno
#44 Sacrificed His Hand In The Name Of Science
Image credits: No_name-left
#45 Imagine Expecting To Bite Into Soft Meat But You Bite A Bolt
Image credits: ButtLicker6969420
#46 Scorpion I Just Happened To Find In My Bra Before Putting It On (Teaspoon For Scale)
Image credits: pinkcatsonacid
#47 Baby In Stomach During Mri
Image credits: reddit.com
#48 Fish Skin Can Be Grafted Onto Burns. It Recruits The Body's Own Cells And Is Converted Into Living Tissue Over Time
Image credits: Honzatus
#49 Just In Case!
Image credits: philmabooty
#50 His Face Is The Thing Of Nightmares
Image credits: TradeInteresting2798
#51 Say Hello To My Little Friend
Image credits: LikeItReallyMatters1
#52 My Foot After Wearing A Wet Boot With A Hole In It For 10 Hours
Image credits: itsalltucci
#53 These Lips Where About To Fall Off
Image credits: Sleppty
#54 Canned Chicken
Image credits: Guitar_Kid_96
#55 My Lil Bros Sneeze With A Mouth Full Of Milk While Using My Laptop
Image credits: No221269
#56 A Car I Parked Next To
Image credits: icetool34
#57 Giraffe With A Damaged Vertebrae
Image credits: Imajar
#58 Moldy Pasta I Found In My Microwave
Image credits: MarcelloBellissimo
#59 Blood Donors
Image credits: pultol
#60 Dude Really Said ‘See No Evil’ And Put His Eyes In Jail
Image credits: lauren_cs
#61 Two Of My Wisdom Teeth. They Were Completely Sideways
Image credits: officer_strewman
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