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 the page's team of moderators and 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.
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Suddenly My Life Isn’t So Bad
A diagram of how John Jones was stuck for 27 hours in a cave before passing away
We at Bored Panda were lucky enough to get in touch with the subreddit's moderator, u/amazonchic2, and the rest of the team to get an inside scoop on how the page is operated. They told us, "Our moderator team is made up of a diverse group of individuals from all corners of the world.
We have mods from ages 18 - 45, single mods living with parents to married moderators with children. We stay connected on Discord, discussing content that comes up or activity happening within the sub. Each moderator is encouraged to put life first, and we attend to our duties as moderator between work and personal life."
Black Widow Bite
Black widow got me on the back of my right knee while I was sleeping
It's been 4 years since the team added a new member. So we were curious to know if they plan to expand it any time soon. "The current team has been able to stay abreast of the content submitted. About 18 months ago, the subreddit was changed by Reddit itself to an 18+ community. At that point, we were required to make all posts NSFW, and we chose to make all posts pending moderator approval.
This significantly slowed traffic eventually. The moderators asked Reddit to reverse the decision to be 18+, but Reddit would not allow the change back. Posts are no longer pending moderator approval, but the traffic has never rebounded completely. r/MakeMeSuffer used to get hundreds of daily posts and now gets much less. Comments are also down significantly, but many of the comments were from trolls and were removed due to hate speech or rude/uncivil comments."
Dislocated My Ankle At A Trampoline Park (18m)
In addition, the moderator revealed what the team does behind the scenes. "The main roles of moderators are reviewing reports from the community on posts and comments that may break a posted rule or just not be the type of content for this subreddit.
Reviewing incoming emails is also a large part of a moderator's duties. Responding to members of the community as they have concerns takes time. Training new moderators and reviewing concerns with the moderator team are also important to ensure everyone is on the same page and is working to respond in a similar fashion."
I've Had Worse Dates
A friend of mine sent me this. This is her dates house.
We also 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."
Went 20 Years Without Brushing Teeth
please buy this man toothpaste. actually, no. buy me eye bleach
Was Eating Fried Rice And I Bit Into A F*cking Cockroach
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."
You Know How Women Just Back Up To The Toilet And Sit Down? I'm So Glad I Looked
I Turned Away For Maybe Two Minutes And A Fly Laid Eggs On My Pizza
Ten Years Ago Today I Got A Pencil Stuck In My Foot
Your foot looks pretty good for having walked around on a broken pencil for 10 years.
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.
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
Til Urethral Sounding Is A Thing People Do
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
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.
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
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
Just Pulled This Out Of My Patient’s Ear
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.”
Psoriasis Sucks. ~97% In October Of 2022, Just Before Starting Humira
My Xray After Breaking My Back
My Buddy Has Trenchfoot
I remember my 'Medicine in Vietnam' movies in Basic. S**t like this happens when you're in wet boots for weeks, you have to cut the laces at the very least to get them off.
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.
Severe Scalp Plaque Psoriasis
Tasty Cystic Flavor
My Brother's Toe Nail He Refuses To Care For. Total Pork Rind
Somebody take toenails away from this man. He's lost the privilege
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.”
Just Had This Popped At The Hospital!
Neck? Arm? Leg? What are we looking at here and where's that banana when you need it?
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
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
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.”
Very Bad Inflammation After Tooth Extraction
Found On Fb. I Can’t Stop Gagging
I Think I Removed Some Brain Matter When I Took Out My AirPods
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."
When They Move Out But Don’t Clean Their Fridge
My Sons Baby Tooth Won’t Fall Out. Dentist Won’t Remove It
New Car Guys What You Think?
Huge Ring Worm Infection
Ringworm is basically athletes foot someplace other than your feet. If you can't have it seen soon enough by a doctor you can start treating it with the same OTC stuff you'd use for athletes foot, such as Tinactin.
I Didn't Know I Was Supposed To Take Apart My Foot Scrubber And Clean It. I Wondered Why It Smelled Like Death
My Brother Pulled This Out Of His Belly Button
Tower Made From Chewing Tobacco Spit And Cigarette Butts. Please Excuse Me While I Toss Myself From The Nearest Balcony
A Friend Had A Molar Removed. This Was Stuck In His Gum For Nearly 3 Weeks
why was this in the funny section and why did I read through the whole thing
*slaps knees and gets up* WELP so long everyone it's been a treat now if you'd please excuse me while I jump from a window
Friendly reminder to NOT F*****G READ IT AND / OR DOWNVOTE IT IF YOU DON'T WANNA READ IT. It's not like a regular meme page with a random gross picture, this was a post with the title clearly saying what it was.
Nah, usually I'm absolutely fine with gross stuff. 99% of the time I'm the one dealing with the absolutely gross stuff. But this was nearly a little tiny bit too far.
Shout out to all the pandas who finished this post and at least brushed their teeth again! I still gargled the mouthwash, scratched my head in disgust and examined the soles of my feet. My personal story in a nutshell: I stubbed my toe and got a black nail, put nail polish to hide it over and over again, then thought I had nail fungus, nope, it was darkening and brittleness from the nail polish. Embarassing.
I got four images in, then skipped down to here. The thumbnail is the guy who got stuck down a hole. That is creepy and terrifying, but I can deal with that. It's the proper disgusting things I can't deal with - teeth not brushed for 20 years? Fly eggs on pizza? NOPE.
I wish I read the comments before I started to read this. I stopped at the toe. I don't think I can finish my coffee.
✨ unsee juice ✨ oh wait I can’t attach it to this. I’ll see if I can attach it to a reply.
Couldn't get all the way through it and I am normally fine with disgusting stuff
Why the hell did I read this. I made it to no. 20, then skipped to here. I also googled stuff y'all told me not to Google. Somebody kill me please so that I cannot do this again!
why was this in the funny section and why did I read through the whole thing
*slaps knees and gets up* WELP so long everyone it's been a treat now if you'd please excuse me while I jump from a window
Friendly reminder to NOT F*****G READ IT AND / OR DOWNVOTE IT IF YOU DON'T WANNA READ IT. It's not like a regular meme page with a random gross picture, this was a post with the title clearly saying what it was.
Nah, usually I'm absolutely fine with gross stuff. 99% of the time I'm the one dealing with the absolutely gross stuff. But this was nearly a little tiny bit too far.
Shout out to all the pandas who finished this post and at least brushed their teeth again! I still gargled the mouthwash, scratched my head in disgust and examined the soles of my feet. My personal story in a nutshell: I stubbed my toe and got a black nail, put nail polish to hide it over and over again, then thought I had nail fungus, nope, it was darkening and brittleness from the nail polish. Embarassing.
I got four images in, then skipped down to here. The thumbnail is the guy who got stuck down a hole. That is creepy and terrifying, but I can deal with that. It's the proper disgusting things I can't deal with - teeth not brushed for 20 years? Fly eggs on pizza? NOPE.
I wish I read the comments before I started to read this. I stopped at the toe. I don't think I can finish my coffee.
✨ unsee juice ✨ oh wait I can’t attach it to this. I’ll see if I can attach it to a reply.
Couldn't get all the way through it and I am normally fine with disgusting stuff
Why the hell did I read this. I made it to no. 20, then skipped to here. I also googled stuff y'all told me not to Google. Somebody kill me please so that I cannot do this again!