With thousands of disturbing pictures circling online, disgust culture has been captivating netizens for quite some time. While it might seem like a strange behavior that the human species exhibits, scientists have found that this emotion has evolved to seize our attention. Some might even find it pleasant due to our tendency to seek out negative experiences without facing real danger.
Such enthusiasts might find the “Make Me Suffer” online community just the right place for them. From concerning injuries to creepy crawlers, it contains posts that may disturb you for a while but won’t cause any physical harm. Scroll down to feel a little thrill; after all, the benefits of adrenaline can be surprisingly positive.
While you're at it, make sure to check out a conversation with psychologist and founder and CEO of the Private Therapy Clinic, Dr.Becky Spelman, who kindly agreed to tell us more about human nature and disgust.
#1 Black Widow Bite
Black widow got me on the back of my right knee while I was sleeping
Image credits: Mhaedr0s
#2 Suddenly My Life Isn’t So Bad
A diagram of how John Jones was stuck for 27 hours in a cave before passing away
Image credits: The-Proud-Snail
#3 Dislocated My Ankle At A Trampoline Park (18m)
Image credits: Gween_beaN001
Bored Panda reached out to psychologist and founder and CEO of the Private Therapy Clinic, Dr.Becky Spelman, to find out why so many people enjoy searching for or sharing disturbing images online.
She told us, "The captivation with disgust, particularly in the context of sharing disturbing images online, such as on the subreddit “Make Me Suffer,” can be attributed to several psychological factors. Firstly, there's a phenomenon known as "benign masochism," where people derive pleasure from experiences that are initially perceived as negative.
This can include watching scary movies, eating extremely spicy food, or, in this case, viewing disturbing images. It's a form of thrill-seeking, where the knowledge that these experiences are not actually harmful allows people to enjoy the sensation of being "disgusted" in a safe environment. Additionally, there's a social aspect: sharing and discussing these images can create a sense of community and shared experience, which can be appealing."
#4 Went 20 Years Without Brushing Teeth
Image credits: Mountain_Future4034
#5 I've Had Worse Dates
A friend of mine sent me this. This is her dates house.
Image credits: _Doireallyneedaname_
#6 Ten Years Ago Today I Got A Pencil Stuck In My Foot
Image credits: filterpiece23
Psychologists who study disgust explain that it’s one of the six basic emotions that define and explain humanity. It shapes our behavior, etiquette, new technology, and even relationships. The feeling is responsible for us wearing deodorant and perfume, inventing a knife and fork, and even starting a viral TikTok trend that points out our partner’s “icks.”
According to Spelman, some people use it as a coping mechanism as well. "Engaging in activities that are slightly unpleasant or discomforting but ultimately harmless can provide a sense of control and a way to confront fears or anxieties in a controlled setting. It's a way to experience and process negative emotions in a context where the individual feels safe and in control. This can be therapeutic and help in building resilience against stress and anxiety."
#7 You Know How Women Just Back Up To The Toilet And Sit Down? I'm So Glad I Looked
Image credits: mrwiskerbiscuitmunch
#8 About 8 Years Ago On Halloween I Went To Clean My Face And Grabbed What I Thought Was A Clump Of Makeup In My Eyelash And Pulled..... Yeah, It Was My Artificial Tear Duct
Image credits: faloofay
#9 I Turned Away For Maybe Two Minutes And A Fly Laid Eggs On My Pizza
Image credits: Lexadour
Darwin initiated disgust studies when he described an encounter in “The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals” with a “savage” who poked the cold, preserved meat he was eating, showing “utter disgust at its softness.” In return, he was repulsed by a stranger sticking his fingers in his food.
#10 Was Eating Fried Rice And I Bit Into A F*cking Cockroach
Image credits: Spidar
#11 My Tooth Has Long Roots
I originally posted my #18 molar a year ago but the subreddit has been removed. Short story is every time I’ve ever went to the dentist they always tell me I have “long roots” so I asked the dentist if I could see have it after it was removed because of an abscess
Image credits: Bwhit1019
#12 Til Urethral Sounding Is A Thing People Do
Image credits: krncrds
Following this, one of the most important works on this paradox was Aurel Kolnai's, who pointed out that it often holds “curious enticement.” He assigned smell, taste, sight, and touch as the senses through which this feeling enters our system and pointed out hearing as a weak transmitter of disgust.
#13 My Finger Got Caught In An Hydraulic Press At Work. No Idea How I Still Have A Finger. Nothing Broken, Just Sh*tty To Look At And Hurts Like Hell
Image credits: Western-Bite1759
#14 Just Had This Popped At The Hospital!
Image credits: CasfromBri
#15 Accidentally Dropped A Fork And Stepped On It
Has since been removed, and recovered well. No serious damage was done (very luckily) despite being nearly 3cm deep in my foot
Image credits: WilhelminaWestwood
Andras Angyal argued that it extends beyond the senses and includes the associations we attribute to them. He illustrated his statement by referring to a time he was walking through a field and smelt the pungent, decaying smell of an animal. The moment he realized it was only glue he found the odor “quite agreeable.”
#16 My Brother's Toe Nail He Refuses To Care For. Total Pork Rind
Image credits: PaleontologistOk9437
#17 My Buddy Has Trenchfoot
Image credits: YN90
#18 My Xray After Breaking My Back
Image credits: [deleted]
Paul Rozin continued the studies and coined the term “benign masochism,” which describes “enjoying initially negative experiences that the body (brain) falsely interprets as threatening.” That’s why some people are captivated by horror movies, spicy food, bungee jumping, and cursed or disturbing photos online. They put themselves in situations that cause fear, pain, or disgust without posing any tangible threat.
#19 Just Pulled This Out Of My Patient’s Ear
Image credits: are_you_kIddIngme
#20 Severe Scalp Plaque Psoriasis
Image credits: a_copper_life
#21 Psoriasis Sucks. ~97% In October Of 2022, Just Before Starting Humira
Image credits: JaundicePocahontas
His famous tragedy “Titus Andronicus” contains, as some might say, as much gore as our current slasher movies. Professor of English and Art History, Clark Hulse, estimated “14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 sexual abuse (or 2 or 3, depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity, and 1 of cannibalism—an average of 5.2 atrocities per act, or one for every 97 lines.”
#22 Tasty Cystic Flavor
Image credits: [deleted]
#23 Very Bad Inflammation After Tooth Extraction
Image credits: anna__miro__
#24 I Think I Removed Some Brain Matter When I Took Out My AirPods
Image credits: gaping_whistle
During that period, people were quite desensitized to such spectacles, gathering to view public executions where criminals were left to hang on chains so the public could see them for an extended amount of time. They would also watch doctors perform autopsies in open anatomy theaters, while pharmacists displayed human body parts before mixing them into medicine, a practice called “medicinal cannibalism.”
#25 Found On Fb. I Can’t Stop Gagging
Image credits: FUCKIECHINSTER
#26 My Sons Baby Tooth Won’t Fall Out. Dentist Won’t Remove It
Image credits: alysshaa19
#27 Ate Part Of This Today And Didn’t Realize It Was Moldy
This is a tuna sandwich FYI… I bought it at my college. I threw up after this
Image credits: StubbornTeen
Back then, as now, disgusting things kept our attention and could even provide us with enjoyment. The play “Titus Andronicus” is one example of how people living in the Elizabethan era were encouraged to view repulsing objects even though they might have wanted to look away. But the public watching Shakespeare’s plays voluntarily learned to embrace the disturbing nature of it, just like the modern individuals who view revolting images online or wait for the latest “Scream” movie to premiere.
However, Spelman warns that while engaging in benign masochistic behaviors can have some benefits, there are potential risks and negative consequences.
"If not kept in balance, these behaviors can escalate, leading to a desensitization to disturbing content, which might require increasingly extreme experiences to achieve the same emotional effect. There's also a risk of normalizing or becoming insensitive to real-world violence and suffering.
Additionally, if these behaviors are used as a primary coping mechanism, they might prevent individuals from developing healthier emotional processing and coping strategies. It’s important for individuals to monitor their engagement with such content and ensure it doesn't interfere with their emotional well-being or social functioning."
#28 When They Move Out But Don’t Clean Their Fridge
Image credits: ilysaj
#29 Tower Made From Chewing Tobacco Spit And Cigarette Butts. Please Excuse Me While I Toss Myself From The Nearest Balcony
Image credits: Sacagawesus
#30 New Car Guys What You Think?
Image credits: _Doireallyneedaname_
#31 My Ankles After Dancing A 12 Hour Shift At The Club
To add, after my shift was over and the club was closing, I fell down at the DJ booth when my ankle gave out and scraped my shin on the stairs. This was working from 2pm-2am. It was about 4am by the time I got home. Taking my boots off at the end of the night was so lovely
Image credits: Bennythekitten
#32 Huge Ring Worm Infection
Image credits: kllrkittn
#33 A Friend Had A Molar Removed. This Was Stuck In His Gum For Nearly 3 Weeks
Image credits: kenny2point0
#34 I Didn't Know I Was Supposed To Take Apart My Foot Scrubber And Clean It. I Wondered Why It Smelled Like Death
Image credits: muststayawaketonod
#35 My Brother Pulled This Out Of His Belly Button
Image credits: OhSweetMuffins
#36 My Ear Just Pooped Out This Juicy Nugget
This one almost came out a week ago but decided to head back in to bake a little longer. Felt a sharp pain in my ear, scratched, and felt it rattling around right at the entrance. Got it the rest of the way with some tweezers
Image credits: Seananagans
#37 My (Dishwasher) Coworkers Cup He Uses To Drink Water All Day Every Day
I don't think he's ever washed it once in his life
Image credits: squishypoo91
#38 Doesn't Necessarily Hit Home As Some Other Posts But I Am Very Much Suffering
Image credits: Few-Acanthisitta-250
#39 Went Surf Fishing And Served Up A Giant Meal To The Mosquitos
I sprayed my arms, legs, and back of my neck. Apparently they were able to get through my shirt as I was leaving forward in a chair
Image credits: neiric4
#40 Foot After 4 Days Of Military Training
Image credits: FadeOfWolf
#41 Play Bass They Said. It's Cool
Image credits: brutalproduct
#42 My Garlic Powder Jar This Morning
Image credits: Jthundercleese
#43 My Grandmother's Fryer
Image credits: Sdchachaze
#44 Check Your Shoes
Image credits: sjk505
#45 I Have Moderate-Severe Scalp Psoriasis And Have To Scrape My Scalp Several Times A Week. This Is The Result Of A Single Session After Having Already Done It A Few Days Prior. (Penny For Scale)
Image credits: Past-Ad1585
#46 Less Than One Second Of Boiling Water - Felt Zero Pain Because It Happened So Fast
Image credits: lArmato
#47 I Was Bitten By Something While I Was Sleeping Over A Month Ago
I live in the UK, I’m not sure what it could have been
Image credits: hunkyMushroom
#48 This Stuff Has Just Got Out Of The Box Of Juice I’ve Been Drinking Since Yesterday. Am I Screwed?
Image credits: Lollooo_
#49 Got My Toe Amputated
Image credits: Mister_Zalez
#50 Tonsil Stone That's Been Stuck For Weeks, Finally Got It Out
Image credits: yntaxx55
#51 Doctor Subreddit Didn’t Reply Lol, I Need Help For The Love Of God There Is Something Wrong With My Foot
Image credits: BigMango841
#52 I Went To A Spam Themed Birthday Party, Complete With A Spam Cake
Icing is garlic mashed potatoes, “cake” is spam slices with cranberry filling, all topped with a “spamera” for the birthday boy. 9/10 would recommend
Image credits: Zerosugar6137
#53 Eye Really Need A Doctor
Image credits: bobhadanaccident
#54 Moth In Hair After Not Washing It For 3 Months
Image credits: honeybunnybee69
#55 My Broken Wrist(Needed Surgery)
Image credits: IllusiveA
#56 Fridge At A Jobsite
Image credits: spooksseycat
#57 Kitchen Hell
Image credits: Wasanni
#58 Broke My Arm A Couple Of Years Ago And This Is How It Healed
Image credits: JumpyAmoeba9
#59 My Dad Said His Back Was Hurting
Image credits: bttby1102
#60 I'm Getting My Wife A New Comb For Christmas
Image credits: Nate-__-
#61 Got A Bug In My Eye.. Hours Ago
Image credits: goodinyou
#62 Ball Of Dead Skin
Image credits: treethingy
#63 Came From My Belly Button Send Help
Royal jelly. Lots more where this came from
Image credits: My_achybreaky_cloacy
#64 Delicious School Burger
Image credits: Juggerlugger
#65 At A Friends House
Image credits: silojm
#66 Spend 3h Killing 200+ Worms That Spawned In My Apartment Literally Out Of Nowhere, I Still Don't Feel Safe Here
Image credits: Claw_-
#67 Intentional Or Idiocy?
Image credits: SnufflesMcPieface
#68 Let Me Introduce To You: My Wrist After Wearing Any Watch
Image credits: ahjteam
#69 This Thing My Sister Has On Her Sole. No Doctor Could Tell Her What This Is And Where It Came From. Still Waiting For Diagnosis
Image credits: ISeduceYourDad
#70 This *used* To Be Water
I can't remember the last time I even saw this bottle lmao
Image credits: Dat_Boi_2088
#71 Who Does This
Image credits: tektekboi
#72 Found This On Twitter
Image credits: GianThePlagueDoctor
#73 My Daughter Deserved A Donut For Being A Good Listener And Received A Punishment Instead (A Bug Donut). Thanks Krispy Kreme!
My poor 3yr old daughter, finished her donut and didn’t tell me until after she was done eating almost all of it that there’s a fuckin bug in her donut on the last bite.. How disgusting, thanks krispy!
Image credits: Itsthasizeofthagat
#74 My Toes After Running A 50k
Image credits: CorrestGump
#75 Reusing Listerine
Image credits: HarshestLight
#76 The Urinal Divider In My Work Bathroom Is Rusting Away From Decades Of Piss Splashing/Bad Aim
Image credits: stater354
#77 Can Somebody Tell Me What Exactly Is Up With My Foot? How Can I Fix This?
Image credits: New-Return3591
#78 My Sister Microwaves Bananas
Image credits: matildaduddlesinc
#79 Everytime I Wear My Shoes This Happens (Pretty Sure It’s Dead Skin Cells)
It coats my shoes and smell
Image credits: R0OOo
#80 Grain Of Rice Lodged In My Fresh Wisdom Tooth Hole
Got it Removed two days ago, I wonder if the wound will close over the grain.
Image credits: pogger_connor
#81 Needle Got Stuck In My Stomach, Nurse Said In All Her Years She Hasn’t Seen This Happen Before
Picture taken by my mom, who had to pull it out because I was hysterical
Image credits: UnderAppreciatedEggs
#82 My Face After God Knows What
Image credits: Uiidd
#83 Bin Juice Stalactites
Lucky me gets to weld under this oil tank in a garbage truck, yay….
Image credits: Hotdog_disposal_unit
#84 Girlfriend Dug This Out From A Lump On Her Arm
Image credits: MADONOMI
#85 This Just Developed On My Back Anyone Know What It Is??
Image credits: [deleted]
#86 Dropped A Weight On My Fungus Toe At The Gym
Image credits: jackthebutcher999
#87 This Was Stuck Up My Nose For 12 Hours Until I Blew It Out At 5am
Image credits: forest-fairyx
#88 There's A Maggot Inside My Earphone. I Have No Ideia How It Ended Up There. I'm Afraid There Might Be More. Help
Image credits: vegdd
#89 My Acne Starts Breaking Out Again, Here's Some Of The Whiteheads
Image credits: Virghia
#90 What The Hell Was In This Chicken Breast
Image credits: Birdytaps
#91 Found The Fruit Fly Problem. In A Bottle Of Vinegar
Image credits: WillFerrellsGutFold
#92 I Get Dandruff On My Arms And This Is How It Decided To Form Today
Image credits: CommitingCombustion
#93 Stink Jar
I've collected everything from poop to pieces of roadkill to expired food and put it in this jar I let sit for almost 7 years to see what would happen i call it my stink jar I need a science person to mail a sample to see if they're is anything interesting going on out of curiosity
Image credits: blueesulfur
#94 I'm Not Kink Shaming But
Thought you guys might appreciate my tampon string collection
Image credits: cjh0982
