Our brains just love symmetry! So much so that when we see a fine example of things just falling nicely into place just as they should, it satisfies us deep within our souls.
Of course, when we encounter the opposite - the wonky, the askew, the lop-sided - it triggers a vague feeling of discomfort. This reaction is stronger in some than in others, but even those of us who would consider themselves chill about imperfections can get fixated on certain mistakes.
Can't understand what I mean? Well, as a follow up to previous efforts here and here, Bored Panda has collected another list of things that aren't quite right and are sure to set the alarm bells ringing. Scroll down below to check them out for yourself, and let us know how they made you feel in the comments!
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Well You're Not Wrong
So what lies behind this fascination with all things symmetrical? Well, according to an article in HowStuffWorks, it comes from the fact that most objects in the real world are symmetrical. "This is particularly true of nature: the radial symmetry of starfish or flower petals, the symmetrical efficiency of a hexagonal honeycomb, or the uniquely symmetrical crystal patterns of a snowflake," they write. "In fact asymmetry is often a sign of illness or danger in the natural world."
People Whose Desktops Look Like This
That. One. Pole.
"And, of course, human beings are symmetrical, at least on the outside (some internal organs like the heart and liver are off-center). Decades of research into sexual attraction have proven that both men and women find symmetrical faces sexier than asymmetrical ones. The leading explanation is that physical symmetry is an outward sign of good health, although large-scale studies have shown no significant health differences in people with symmetrical or asymmetrical faces."
"The simple explanation for our attraction to symmetry is that it's familiar. Symmetrical objects and images play by the rules that our brains are programmed to recognize easily."
These Lights
Just Re-Pave The Damn Road At This Point
In an essay called The Symmetrical Universe, Alan Lightman, American physicist, writer, and author of The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew, writes:
"Symmetry leads to economy, and nature, like human beings, seem to prefer economy. If we think of nature as a vast ongoing experiment, constantly trying out different possibilities of design, then those designs that cost the least energy or that require the fewest different parts to come together at the right time will take precedence, just as the principle of natural selection says that organisms with the best ability to survive will dominate over time."
My Friend's New Front Door
What The Actual Mother ******* **** Is This *******
There are certain parts of the world where mistakes are deliberately made in a pattern so it is not perfect. This is because only God is perfect.
So try to relax whilst perusing this list - your sense of discomfort or even anger at the asymmetry of things is fully justified, and is an appropriate human reaction to these design outrages. Good symmetry is good organization and our brains are hardwired to appreciate that!
This Neighborhood I Saw On Google Maps Really Hits Me Hard
Preth Any Button
How The **** Does This Happen?
It’s Like They Want Me To Have An Aneurysm
This Chandelier At A Restaurant I Ate At Bothers Me So Much
This Stove
Someone Thought It Would Be Funny To Do This At The Corner Of Every Page Of This Notebook
This Teacher Doesn’t Erase The Board Fully And Continues To Use It
My Grandfather Doesn’t Peel The Plastic Off Of Anything And Won’t Let Me Peel It Off. I’m About To Have A Heart Attack
When You Play The Sims But Forget To Rotate
Meanwhile In Supermarket
The Way This Pizza Has Been Cut
Okay What The Hell
911 - I'd Like To Report A Crime
At My Closest Train Station. I Think I Need To Move
ON Is Red, OFF Is Green
I Was High In The Road And Was Not Sure If It Was The Weed Or Not So I Took A Picture For Later
You Had One Job
This Building Where Nothing Lines Up
Looked Down During My Shower Today. Can’t Unsee It Now
I'm Literally Screaming Inside
Finished Laying The Bricks, Boss
Not Only Is The First Light Different, The Last Light's Fixture Is Upside Down
Why Write The ‘S’ Like That? The More I Read It, The More It Mildly Infuriates Me
The Way My Mom Watches TV With Things Obscuring The Screen
Askew Angles
How These Pipes Were Installed
Cut It Wrong. I Think They
I Am Forced To Look At This Every Time I Get Up
I Put The Manhole Cover Back, Boss
But How?
Found This In Louisiana
Why Not "Intense Raspberry"?
This Apartment Building
If I Could Not See Them At The Same Time I Would Not Care
The Door On This House
This Stripe On My Friend's Car
Why?
Why?
Well Done
I'm Just Gonna Leave That Here
Do I Even Have To Say Anything
Horrible Cut-Out
We need a picture with someone sticking their face through there.