ADVERTISEMENT

It’s no mystery that many people enjoy order and symmetry. When everything’s in its proper place, it makes us feel good and scratches a deep inner itch that some of us weren’t even aware of before. On the flip side, if there’s even a small error in an otherwise extremely neat landscape, it can end up thoroughly annoying us.

To show you what we mean, our team at Bored Panda has compiled this list of photos where nearly everything is organized neatly, but something is ever so slightly off. We’d love to just go through the screen and adjust things until they’re perfect because these mistakes are making us uncomfortable. Scroll down to take a peek at the pics below and be sure to upvote the ones that annoyed you on a fundamental level.

Bored Panda got in touch with Anthony Smith, LMHC, who shed some light on why human beings enjoy symmetry and how, for some people who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Tourette's syndrome, and perfectionistic personalities, it can become an obsession. Read on for our full interview with Smith, a licensed mental health counselor with 22 years of experience in Massachusetts and the host of the ‘Up and Running’ blog on Psychology Today.

#1

The Way My Mom Watches TV With Things Obscuring The Screen

The Way My Mom Watches TV With Things Obscuring The Screen

eharsh87 Report

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?"

#2

People Whose Desktops Look Like This

People Whose Desktops Look Like This

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
LakotaWolf (she/her)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is me. You do not want to see my desktop right now XD I have like 6 spaces left. I'll clean it up, I swear! >_>

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

"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.

#5

This Teacher Doesn’t Erase The Board Fully And Continues To Use It

This Teacher Doesn’t Erase The Board Fully And Continues To Use It

Nemo4200 Report

Add photo comments
POST
Stephanie Did It
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's how you knew on Day 1 of the new school year, if the teacher was cool or a psychopath

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#6

This Neighborhood I Saw On Google Maps Really Hits Me Hard

This Neighborhood I Saw On Google Maps Really Hits Me Hard

zyyye Report

Add photo comments
POST
MC C
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

most likely that small patch was built before they put the highway there, once there were people there was need for a highway, once the highway was built, they lined up the rest of the streets with it.

Load More Replies...
René Sauer
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is called... something with scars. Landscape scars? The thing is, there was something different before, Maybe some sort of commercial/industrial complex which got sold and demolished for development.

DC
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's like ... a tube formerly fitting inside a box, but no more really fitting, so you decide to use force instead of fiddling. In with that stupid Sockcusser!

°CORLEONE°
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have been here. It is located in Jacksonville Beach, FL. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Starbucks/@30.2768446,-81.4069117,5295m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x88e449b5f9957617:0x69553de381abb945!8m2!3d30.279227!4d-81.38965!16s%2Fg%2F1tn4yzvd?entry=ttu

Alexej Dvorak
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you spent too much time on anarchy mode in Cities:Skylines.

Surenu
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly, this happens when I don't want to build even more grids, realize I do need space efficiency and get back to boring but efficient grids halfway through.

Load More Replies...
thea
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OP said it was 2 designers who hated each other so one decided to be petty and make all the streets slanted. OP also lives here.

E Eng
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It looks like a puzzle that was squished together by a four year old who doesn't understand puzzles.

Bob Bobbins
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like that was the original neighborhood and they built the rest around it

Allen Plain
Community Member
1 year ago

This comment has been deleted.

Liz Downing
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's like this neighborhood just fell from the sky and landed wrong.

Kat linie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Woah! There's a Starbucks! Wait. What were we supposed to be looking at?

Phyzzi
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I guess after living in Boston this just feels like amateur hour. The streets are mostly straight and there is some semblance of planning so it's already better than 90% of Western MA. Oh, and also better than that one place in Portland, OR where all the streets have the same name but just different suffixes, and no they aren't on a grid either.

Tricia Burcell
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And right now what you said about Portland is the thing about it that currently makes them most sense.

Load More Replies...
Michelle Reynolds
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think the one off-set square is straight and the rest is crooked lol

MontanaMariner
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Check out the Slant Street District of Missoula, Montana. All sorts of wonky.

Bear Hall
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

With the Starbucks it symbolizes perfectly how the "sameness" ruins our life.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

"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]"

ADVERTISEMENT

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."

#7

This Chandelier At A Restaurant I Ate At Bothers Me So Much

This Chandelier At A Restaurant I Ate At Bothers Me So Much

fluffynuff Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#9

Quality Control Must Have Had The Day Off When This Was Created

Quality Control Must Have Had The Day Off When This Was Created

huck002 Report

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.

ADVERTISEMENT
#12

911 - I'd Like To Report A Crime

911 - I'd Like To Report A Crime

quinntoye Report

Add photo comments
POST
Šimon Špaček
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How? I understand when there is wrong color brick, that makes sense (it is laziness), but this? To do this you have to cut 3 other bricks and that is not something you do accidentally.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

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.

ADVERTISEMENT
#13

I Put The Manhole Cover Back, Boss

I Put The Manhole Cover Back, Boss

Tombombleron Report

#14

Found This In Louisiana

Found This In Louisiana

ctophu Report

#15

It’s Like They Want Me To Have An Aneurysm

It’s Like They Want Me To Have An Aneurysm

infinityeoc Report

Add photo comments
POST
James016
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think the Monk DVD box set was the same, one of them was slightly out of alignment on purpose.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

“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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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

#16

Just Re-Pave The Damn Road At This Point

Just Re-Pave The Damn Road At This Point

zachwilly Report

Add photo comments
POST
DC
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fellow Motorcyclists will know - these are really dangerous in the summer, because that stuff melts. On a halfway-liquid road, you can't transmit forces like on an intact, so this does lead to preventable accidents. Taxes paid related to vehicle possession and usage are enough to demand not to be preventably endangered by the bad state the road surface is in and the unfit attempts to repair. We shouldn't do this. We shouldn't accept it being done, but make the road require a repair that is out of reach for this stupid method!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#18

The Way This Pizza Has Been Cut

The Way This Pizza Has Been Cut

nelldog Report

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

#20

Someone Thought It Would Be Funny To Do This At The Corner Of Every Page Of This Notebook

Someone Thought It Would Be Funny To Do This At The Corner Of Every Page Of This Notebook

asdfghjklsofia Report

See Also on Bored Panda

“Are you yelling at your young kids because they did what kids do and made a mess? Are your relationships, work, or hobbies suffering because you spend so much time tidying?” the expert pointed out some things to be aware of.

Meanwhile, professional counselor Rebecca Phillips, from Texas, said that tidying and organizing our homes can work as a physical outlet for when our own minds feel chaotic. "When our thoughts feel muddled, organizing our physical surroundings gives a sense of control,” she said.

ADVERTISEMENT
#23

Where My Fellow Office Workers At?

Where My Fellow Office Workers At?

toomanymarbles83 Report

#24

Ended Up Putting Pepper In My Pasta... Why Is The Pepper White And The Salt Black?!

Ended Up Putting Pepper In My Pasta... Why Is The Pepper White And The Salt Black?!

Tetraazidomethane Report

However, as New York psychotherapist Natalie Capano told ‘House Beautiful,’ this neatness at home might only be superficial. “Organization can be an illusion that we have our life together, when in reality there are big issues just underneath the surface. Some people believe that their home represents their life, so if their pantry is perfect, their relationships must be, too,” the expert noted.

“Not everyone prefers an organized lifestyle, and that is just fine. Organized chaos works for some people, and this can feel as good to them as a neat and orderly space can feel to others.”

#25

I Am Forced To Look At This Every Time I Get Up

I Am Forced To Look At This Every Time I Get Up

rwhereemy Report

Add photo comments
POST
Bear Hall
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just keep your eyes closed till you reach vertical position. Apply duct tape if necessary.

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#26

This Apartment Building

This Apartment Building

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
Bear Hall
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The next earthquake will take care of it one way or the other.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#27

My Sister Cut A Cake And I’m About To Kill Her

My Sister Cut A Cake And I’m About To Kill Her

urmumgay69420killme Report

We’d love to find out which of these photos annoyed you the most, dear Pandas. Were there any pics that you genuinely wished that you could make things more neat and tidy? How do you feel about perfect symmetry being ruined by someone’s blunders? Scroll down to the comment section to share your thoughts.

#28

I Was High In The Road And Was Not Sure If It Was The Weed Or Not So I Took A Picture For Later

I Was High In The Road And Was Not Sure If It Was The Weed Or Not So I Took A Picture For Later

pet_sauce_ Report

#30

These Lights

These Lights

D3TROIT40oz248 Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#34

My Friend's New Front Door

My Friend's New Front Door

Ollie_Bosh Report

Add photo comments
POST
Bear Hall
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even the pathway is off. Like they didn't look up before they finished it.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#37

At My Closest Train Station. I Think I Need To Move

At My Closest Train Station. I Think I Need To Move

timmah11 Report

#38

Okay What The Hell

Okay What The Hell

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
Brenda
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At least put a plant or something on it so people know that it's there!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#40

Why?

Why?

NastyNate675 Report

Note: this post originally had 100 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.