Now, not everyone is a big fan of horror movies, haunted houses and TikToks of creepy-crawly creatures. But if you’ve decided to continue down this list, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you might be part of the subset of humanity that’s drawn to bizarre, gross and disturbing things. Sometimes, you just can’t look away!
So why exactly are we so intrigued by these unsettling images? According to Scientific American, part of our attraction to things that disgust us stems from the fact that disturbing things “both capture and retain our attention.” Which is impressive, because nowadays, it’s hard to find anything that will grab our attention!
One reason why these disgusting things are so intriguing to us might make sense if we look at it from an evolutionary perspective. Media scholars Bridget Rubenking and Annie Lang explain that we had to learn how to notice these disturbing things, so that we would be able to avoid them. We evolved to notice them to keep us safe from harm.
And while these images from Instagram don’t actually pose any threat to you, many people do love watching and learning about topics that do. It can be hard to accept the fact that humans are responsible for brutal atrocities towards one another. But millions of people around the globe love watching documentaries about serial k*llers and world leaders who have caused unimaginable harm to their own and other nations.
“Benign masochism” might also play a role in why you enjoy being disturbed. Psychologist Nina Strohminger writes that many humans enjoy “constrained risks,” such as skydiving, eating spicy foods and riding on extreme rollercoasters. A little bit of danger can be exhilarating, and once we experience that rush, we might want to seek it out again and again.
There are plenty of people out there who love true-crime documentaries. As soon as one drops on Netflix, my partner and I are seated and eager to hear people recall the most horrific tale that’s ever occurred in their city. But our fascination with these documentaries does beg the question: Why are we choosing to scare ourselves when we already live in such a dangerous world?
Well, Sarah Kollat, Teaching Professor of Psychology at Penn State, says that fear can actually feel pretty good. When we perceive a threat, we receive a surge of adrenaline. And once the danger has been “dealt with,” we can feel an amazing flood of dopamine and relief.
Experiencing frightening situations together is also an excellent way to bond with loved ones. Now, you shouldn’t seek out traumatic experiences on purpose, but you might actually find some joy in going to a haunted house, attending a ghost tour or watching a terrifying film together. You can help one another feel safe, and once the experience is over, you might have a great story to tell and plenty of inside jokes to mention for years to come.
Most of us also can’t help but have a morbid curiosity. Even if we know something is disgusting, disturbing and difficult to look at, we might not be able to look away. The majority of the photos on this list aren’t actually terrifying, but they might make you feel uncomfortable. And yet, it’s hard not to stare at them and wonder, “What the heck is going on there?”
