“Hits Me Hard”: 40 Things That Annoyed People Way Too Much (New Pics)

According to Smith, the host of the ‘Up and Running’ blog, people have an innate tendency to prefer symmetricality. This can be found in many areas of human life, as "evident from the fact that architecture and artifacts around the world, spanning the eons, are more often than not meticulously symmetrical."

The licensed mental health counselor continues that "we are symmetrical beings, and further, symmetricality is even in music composition, poetry verse arrangement, and any askewness is likely to be quickly recognized. How fast are many to run and straighten a picture?"

However, at times, this desire to see and create symmetry everywhere can get out of hand. "For a more pervasive form of the need for symmetry, as in OCD, where things must be particularly arranged or otherwise ritualized, for instance, it could be assumed that it is part of keeping things controlled," Smith explained to Bored Panda.

"Consistent arrangement provides a sense of predictability, which lends itself to control. On a more subjective level, the compulsion to constantly neatly arrange things in one's environment might provide a sense of control, perhaps compensation, for the flurry of out-of-control anxiety that is their internal landscape."

The expert said that other researchers have suggested that while symmetry is a common symptom across OCD, "some sufferers are prone to primarily experiencing obsessions of symmetricality." Here, an obsession for people with OCD means intrusive thoughts, images, and impulses that provoke anxiety and are nearly impossible to suppress.

"Further, there is some evidence this apparent subtype has a heavy genetic contribution," he said. Smith shared with Bored Panda what these researchers have said: "Specifically, one study found a significant association between the symmetry symptom dimension and the 2R allele of the DRD4 VNTR polymorphism, subsequently suggesting that this symptom dimension may represent a more homogeneous subtype of OCD with a genetic etiology. [31]"

According to the host of the ‘Up and Running’ blog, when it comes to most things psychiatric, both nature and nurture are at play here: "Nature cocks the hammer, and experience pulls the trigger/dictates when and how a genetic predisposition is expressed."

Smith notes that OCD and Tourette's syndrome often co-occur, especially in males and there is a lot of research done on their link to symmetry.

"Tourette's is considered a neuropsychiatric complication, but is perhaps more neuro than psych, provided it is more of a movement disorder. Given OCD and Tourette's frequently co-occur, and disorders often 'play well together' it could also be a matter of this neuro-abnormal contribution of want for symmetry influencing obsessions," the mental health counselor said.

Full disclosure, Pandas, yours truly is definitely the type of person who gets annoyed when there’s a glitch in the Matrix and something ruins otherwise neat and symmetrical projects.

The odds are that many of you reading this right now also got slightly frustrated by the photos in this list, too. That’s because human beings find symmetry familiar and soothing, on a fundamental level. Life is messy enough as it is without people laying down tile patterns wrong!

According to ‘How Stuff Works,’ symmetry is built into many parts of nature, from animals to plants and even the structure of a snowflake. Symmetrical patterns are what our minds are used to recognizing, so they seem ‘natural’ to us. On the other hand, asymmetry can often be seen as a sign of illness or danger in nature.

“Symmetry represents order, and we crave order in this strange universe we find ourselves in. The search for symmetry, and the emotional pleasure we derive when we find it, must help us make sense of the world around us, just as we find satisfaction in the repetition of the seasons and the reliability of friendships. Symmetry is also economy. Symmetry is simplicity. Symmetry is elegance,” physicist Alan Lightman writes in ‘The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew.’

The BBC points out that looking at symmetrical photos, whether of buildings or even someone’s meal, can calm us down when we’re feeling stressed and tired. We find order soothing and beautiful.

“Spending time looking at these feeds can be therapeutic,” Dave Mullen, the founder of the ‘Geometry Club’ Instagram account, told the BBC.

Though many of us enjoy looking at symmetrical photos, it doesn’t mean that this desire for order translates into every other aspect of our lives. For example, someone who gets mad when they see someone else placing furniture off-center might not apply the same rules in their own home.

At the end of the day, people thrive in different home environments, and some of them seem messier than others. What matters, however, is that you’re comfortable with the way things are organized because it’s you who has to live with these systems at home.

Chicago-based psychologist Dr. Bethany Cook told ‘House Beautiful’ that people find comfort in the predictable because it creates a sense of safety. “Organizing your living space means you know where things are without searching, and this feels safe,” she explained, adding that you’ve gone too far in keeping things tidy when you start sacrificing your mental health.