30 Times People Spotted Something That Confused Them So Much They Had To Share The Pics Online

Up and running for roughly 3.5 years now, the ‘If Ya Squint, It’s Mint’ Facebook group has already amassed close to 900k members. And the number is likely to keep growing, bearing in mind the popularity of DIY (even if—or maybe especially if—unsuccessful), as well as fails, and other surprising and amusing content.

Studies found that between 2019 and 2021, for instance (when, likely evoked by the Covid lockdown, people’s interest in DIY projects seemingly skyrocketed), people’s spending on DIY projects grew by 44% and reached a record height of $66 billion.

While it might not be the case with everyone, some netizens’ interest in DIY content online is not only based on laughing at projects gone wrong. (Though they are typically quite amusing.) Many people turn to the good ol’ internet for help or inspiration, of which there is plenty online.

Covering some interesting statistics, Gitnux pointed out that close to half (47%) of DIY consumers rely on YouTube for instructions on how to carry out certain projects. It also found that throughout the span of two years, more than 53% of homeowners in the US have taken on a DIY project.

Arguably even stronger than people’s urge to start a DIY project (especially without having finished the previous one, if you’re anything like me) is their sense of schadenfreude – the joy that misfortune experienced by others brings.

While that sounds cruel presented like that, it doesn’t mean that everyone who has experienced it is some sort of a sociopath. Schadenfreude can also be experienced when a friend you love and care for dearly trips on a sidewalk and you—after making sure they still have all their teeth—can’t help but laugh at their clumsiness. If you ask me, schadenfreude can be perceived as an ability to see the beauty in fails, be it your own or those of others.

In a piece for BBC Science Focus, a neuroscientist, author, comedian and “all-round ‘science guy’”, as he presents himself, Dean Burnett, emphasized that schadenfreude is indeed a common emotion; one that stems from “deeply ingrained processes that the human brain spent millions of years evolving.”

One of the things people’s brains seemingly focused most on during the millions of years is socializing and—more importantly—social status. According to Burnett, humans are “instinctively aware of the general hierarchy, the pecking order, and our standing within it”. And since raising one’s social status is something that’s linked to an influx of positive emotions, people seek a higher-ranking position in said pecking order, which can happen when someone else falls lower.

“When we see someone mess up in ways that cause them to lose face, and thus lose social status, we can feel a burst of satisfaction as our own status is raised, at no cost to us. And so, schadenfreude,” Burnett wrote.

Whether it’s related to maintaining our social status or watching our clumsy friends, schadenfreude is likely to be the reason we find certain fails funny. Take America’s Funniest Home Videos, for instance; counting its 35th season, the show is largely based on people getting themselves into all sorts of unfavorable situations, most of which look somewhat entertaining to others.

So, the fact that people love browsing fails online, too, comes as no surprise. If you’re a fan of such instances yourself, chances are you’ve already giggled at some of the failures shared on this list. But if you want more, continue to browse the funniest Halloween fails, the biggest tattoo fails, or wife fails that had the internet in stitches next.