“Thanks, I Hate It”: 50 Pics That May Ruin Your Whole Day (New Pics)

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you come across a photo of someone “storing” jellybeans in a popped blister on the sole of their foot. Using the skin pouch as a sweets pocket. Yes, really. You can’t make that ish up. People will never cease to amaze. It’s one (verygross) thing to do that in the first place. But we have to wonder, what would possess anyone to take a photo of it, and then share it online for all the world to see?It’s just one of manyphotosfeatured on the subreddit “Thanks, I Hate It”. The page has more than 1.7 million members and is all the proof we need that people can be more than a little weird. The online community shares pics of the things nobody really wants or likes to see. Yet they take a good look anyway. Some images may make your skin crawl, others could cause a gag reflex, there are those that induce panic, and a few you can’t quite put your finger on but you just know you hate them.Bored Pandahas put together a potluck of purely unsettling photos from the page. Be warned, you might not want to scroll through them during breakfast. We also had a really interesting chat withJoshua Ackerman, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. He explained why humans feel disgust and why that’s not necessarily a bad thing.This post may includeaffiliate links.

It’s just one of manyphotosfeatured on the subreddit “Thanks, I Hate It”. The page has more than 1.7 million members and is all the proof we need that people can be more than a little weird. The online community shares pics of the things nobody really wants or likes to see. Yet they take a good look anyway. Some images may make your skin crawl, others could cause a gag reflex, there are those that induce panic, and a few you can’t quite put your finger on but you just know you hate them.

Bored Pandahas put together a potluck of purely unsettling photos from the page. Be warned, you might not want to scroll through them during breakfast. We also had a really interesting chat withJoshua Ackerman, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. He explained why humans feel disgust and why that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

Map showing the “Gulf of America” instead of the Gulf of Mexico, highlighting an unseeable photo.

Tweet imagining Statue of Liberty filled with skeletons from a failed French mission; a concept you can’t unsee.

Man highlighting text on a flip chart with the caption about fear and darkness, in a humorous presentation setting.

Have you ever seen something so gross that it makes your stomach churn, and you have to stop yourself from throwing up? Well, apparently that’s your body’s way of protecting you. Scientists say disgust is a survival instinct. Disgust, wrote Charles Darwin in the 1860s, is inborn and involuntary, and it evolved to prevent our ancestors from eating spoiledfoodthat might kill them.Joshua Ackermanis not one to shy away from disgusting things. In fact, he’s an expert when it comes to disgust, having researched the emotion extensively. When we reached out to Ackerman, the professor of psychology from the University of Michigan was more than happy to answer some questions for us.“Disgust is an emotion that evolved to help us manage the threat of harm from infection and toxic substances,” Ackerman told Bored Panda. “We often feel disgust in response to threat cues like bodily fluids, symptoms of illness like coughs and pus, rotting foods, and waste products. Disgust creates a strong aversion to cues and drives us to avoid interacting with them in ways that might spread germs or otherwise lead us to get sick. In strong cases, it can help us expel substances we’ve ingested, for example through vomiting.”

Disgust, wrote Charles Darwin in the 1860s, is inborn and involuntary, and it evolved to prevent our ancestors from eating spoiledfoodthat might kill them.

Joshua Ackermanis not one to shy away from disgusting things. In fact, he’s an expert when it comes to disgust, having researched the emotion extensively. When we reached out to Ackerman, the professor of psychology from the University of Michigan was more than happy to answer some questions for us.

“Disgust is an emotion that evolved to help us manage the threat of harm from infection and toxic substances,” Ackerman told Bored Panda. “We often feel disgust in response to threat cues like bodily fluids, symptoms of illness like coughs and pus, rotting foods, and waste products. Disgust creates a strong aversion to cues and drives us to avoid interacting with them in ways that might spread germs or otherwise lead us to get sick. In strong cases, it can help us expel substances we’ve ingested, for example through vomiting.”

Confused cartoon character reacting to a confusing English language meme with “Hold Up” text.

Spider-shaped earrings worn on an ear, with realistic detailing, creating an unsettling visual effect.

A vintage-style portrait with a humorous and uncanny facial twist, creating a can’t-unsee effect.

While some of us prefer to steer clear of anything that might gross us out, others get a kick out of watching disturbing videos or looking at disgusting photos like the ones in this compilation. Ackerman tells Bored Panda there’s a name for this…“The concept of ‘benign masochism’ refers to situations where people prefer typically negative experiences,” he says. “For people like this, they don’t tend to like the full experience of disgust. Instead, they get enjoyment from the physiological reactions created in the body and mind when they feel ‘just enough disgust,’ which is more likely to happen when looking at pictures or watching videos than when actually touching or eating gross things.”

“The concept of ‘benign masochism’ refers to situations where people prefer typically negative experiences,” he says. “For people like this, they don’t tend to like the full experience of disgust. Instead, they get enjoyment from the physiological reactions created in the body and mind when they feel ‘just enough disgust,’ which is more likely to happen when looking at pictures or watching videos than when actually touching or eating gross things.”

Tattoo of realistic ants on leg near shoe, creating optical illusion.

Person’s head emerging from a sand sculpture shaped like a snake on the beach.

Tattoo on arm spelling “void” with overlapping circles, creating an optical illusion effect.

We asked Ackerman if it’s possible for someone to train themselves to be less disgusted. He explained thatdisgust reactionsare acquired, or learned. Through a learning process, you can train down these responses, he says.“Whether this is a good activity or not depends on your goal. If you work in a field where you regularly encounter disgust cues (such as sanitation or ahospital), feeling lower levels of disgust can be helpful for getting your job done,” said the expert.“In many cases, people also will naturally become desensitized over time in such situations, even if they aren’t intentionally trying to feel less disgust. However, if you train yourself to feel less disgust in a wide variety of situations, this can be counterproductive. Disgust works to help people avoiddisease-causing germs and toxins. Feeling less disgust can potentially lead people to stop avoiding these dangers and thus to get sick more often.”

“Whether this is a good activity or not depends on your goal. If you work in a field where you regularly encounter disgust cues (such as sanitation or ahospital), feeling lower levels of disgust can be helpful for getting your job done,” said the expert.

“In many cases, people also will naturally become desensitized over time in such situations, even if they aren’t intentionally trying to feel less disgust. However, if you train yourself to feel less disgust in a wide variety of situations, this can be counterproductive. Disgust works to help people avoiddisease-causing germs and toxins. Feeling less disgust can potentially lead people to stop avoiding these dangers and thus to get sick more often.”

Unique manicure with nails shaped like shrimp on a textured surface.

A humorous collage showing a famous actor without teeth.

Unique architectural building with irregular balconies against a clear blue sky.

When researchers looked into the link between disgust andCOVID, they found that those more prone to feelings of disgust fared better during the pandemic. Ackerman explains that this is because disgust is effective at lessening the probability of illness.

“If people experience disgust to true signs of danger, like someone sick with a contagious illness such as COVID, this can motivate those people to avoid social interactions and other encounters likely to spread germs,” he explained.

Side-by-side photos showing the same person with a dramatic change in facial expression; humorous photo edit.

Black cat wearing a pancake on its face, creating an unexpected and humorous look.

Book cover of “How to Make Your Baby an Internet Celebrity” featuring a baby in a striped outfit.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine compiled a rather wild survey that I, for one, am happy I didn’t take part in. They came up with 75 potentially disgusting scenarios and then asked more than 2,500 people to rate their level of disgust for each one.

Pokemon meme with humorous text on evolving generations full of microplastics, asbestos, and lead. Unseeable image.

Collage of uncomfortable images: toenail clipper on teeth, swollen gums, and a person biting ice cream. Can’t unsee moments.

Bookshelf with spines facing inward, creating an unusual visual effect.

The study found that most of the things humans find disgusting fall into six categories. Each one is related to how likely they are to possibly transmit disease.According to a press release, “Of all the scenarios presented, infected wounds producing pus were rated as the most disgusting. Theviolation of hygiene norms—such as having badbody odour, was also found to be particularly disgusting.“The survey results also showed that there were differences in how men and women reacted to each of the disgusting scenarios. Women rated each and every category more disgusting than men. “This is consistent with the fact that men are known to indulge in riskier behaviour than women, on average,“readsthe press release, adding that the categories women found most disgusting were risky sexual behavior andanimalscarrying diseases.

The study found that most of the things humans find disgusting fall into six categories. Each one is related to how likely they are to possibly transmit disease.

According to a press release, “Of all the scenarios presented, infected wounds producing pus were rated as the most disgusting. Theviolation of hygiene norms—such as having badbody odour, was also found to be particularly disgusting.”

The survey results also showed that there were differences in how men and women reacted to each of the disgusting scenarios. Women rated each and every category more disgusting than men. “This is consistent with the fact that men are known to indulge in riskier behaviour than women, on average,“readsthe press release, adding that the categories women found most disgusting were risky sexual behavior andanimalscarrying diseases.

Fork with an elongated handle on a table setting, showing an unusual design.

Man with long hair holding a cup, wearing a shirt with a bird neck design, standing in front of drinks dispensers.

Truck driver awarded for helping homeless woman, receiving a Rolex watch as gratitude at Celina 52 Truck Stop.

"Although we knew the emotion of disgust was good for us, here we’ve been able to build on that, showing that disgust is structured, recognising and responding to infection threats to protect us,” said lead researcher Professor Val Curtis.Co-author of the paper Micheal de Barra said the results show that people have an intuitive sense of what to avoid in theirenvironment. “Our long coevolution with disease has ‘wired in’ this intuitive sense of what can cause infection,” explained de Barra.

Co-author of the paper Micheal de Barra said the results show that people have an intuitive sense of what to avoid in theirenvironment. “Our long coevolution with disease has ‘wired in’ this intuitive sense of what can cause infection,” explained de Barra.

Snail-inspired boots with shells as heels displayed in a store, creating an unusual and unforgettable fashion statement.

Confusing and chaotic room photo with distorted items, causing stress and visual disorientation.

Skeleton-shaped decor in a store aisle, humorously holding spools of thread on its back.

So next time you want to gag when someone coughs in front of you, or you see maggots crawling on rotten meat, ask yourself what your body is trying to tell you. Your feelings of being grossed out might not be so useless after all but rather nature’s way of protecting you.

Spider made of electronic components like resistors and wires on a desk.