30 Hilariously Cringy Moments That Will Forever Live As Screenshots On The Internet

They say that once something is on the internet, it will stay here forever. Which is quite nice if we're talking about a funny picture of your cat or your proudest sewing project.

However, the same "law" applies to moments that are, let's say, less than ideal. For example, having a brain fart on social media and sharing a bizarre status update, or going live on TV with an explicit item in the background.

The subreddit 'Hilarious Cringe' is an excellent example of that. This online community is dedicated to collecting and immortalizing moments that make awkward seem cool.

#1 1st Submission

Image credits: Morparscape

#2 Um

Image credits: Gainsborough-Smythe

Dr. Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist and author of Emotional Ignorance: Lost and Found in the Science of Emotion, thinks that at its core, cringing is a mechanism to deter us from behaving in ways that risk us losing status or gaining the negative judgement of others.

Our bodies consider “negative judgement” to be a threat to survival, Burnett explains. “Our primitive brain reflexes don’t really discern between a physical threat (e.g. a nearby tiger) and a psychological threat (e.g. potentially embarrassing ourselves in front of others), so they trigger similar responses."

#3 Did You Not Read The Post?

Image credits: mayhem_masterpiece

#4 A Big Truck

Image credits: reddit.com

#5 Where Can I Cancel My Subscription

Image credits: TheSphix

"In this case, the unconscious desire to make yourself smaller to avoid detection or judgement means we cringe to minimize our presence until the 'risk' has passed,” Burnett says.

So when we find people cringe, our bodies are essentially telling us to avoid them. Otherwise, we could risk becoming associated with them and socially alienated from the pack.

#6 The Typo Of The Century

Image credits: Wurst_Case

#7 Poorly Placed Advertising

Image credits: leg18

#8 Will She Ever Find Love?

Image credits: dirtymick87

#9 Just A Normal Guy

Image credits: reddit.com

"It’s a regular reminder of what is and isn’t acceptable or appropriate if we want to remain an accepted member of society ... People who don't get embarrassed by anything, who don't cringe at all, are often not very liked by others. They have no internal checks on their behavior or thinking, so end up disrupting group harmony and cohesion, and become less liked and acceptable as a result."

So as repulsive as the feeling might be, the discomfort is actually a pretty neat social compass to have!