Online Group “Damn, That’s Interesting” Shares 50 Interesting Facts And Pics

Redditor u/LydiaAgain, one of the mods managing things behind the scenes at the massively popular r/Damnthatsinteresting, stressed that the content posted by the members needs to make someone stop and go, "Well, damn!" It's supposed to leave a powerful impression. The impact really matters.

"Being merely cute, topical, unusual [isn't the same as] interesting. We look for new, original content if possible," she said.

Bored Panda was curious about the subreddit's rules, and whether the mod has some other guidelines that new members should know about that weren't written in the sidebar. She quipped that one of the main issues is that some members simply don't read what's already written there.

"Our rules are pretty straightforward, the main issue is people do not read the rules in the sidebar. My main advice is to actually read the rules and browse the subreddit before posting. Also, sending modmail about where your post has gone is not helpful as it gets buried in dozens of others, and will not result in approval," she explained.

Lydia revealed to Bored Panda that she personally spends around 2 to 3 hours each day helping moderate the subreddit. However, the time that other mods spend might be different. "Duties include checking modqueue, looking at modmail, browsing the subreddit to remove posts and comments, and trying to eliminate spam."

Meanwhile, UCLA professor Castel, the author of 'Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging,' was kind enough to answer our questions about sparking our curiosity if we think we already know everything, and what helps us stay mentally sharp as we age.

"Our awareness of our own cognitive ability and knowledge is called metacognition. Often as we get older, we are more aware of what we know, what we don’t know, and also what we are most interested in. I think being selective can be important so that we can focus on remembering and being curious about what interests us," he explained to Bored Panda.

"Also, having some sense of awe is also associated with curiosity, happiness, and life satisfaction, while also making us care more about others and the world in general. I think metacognition and awe can make us more curious about the things that are important to us, especially as we get older," he shared some advice that might be useful for those people who feel like there's nothing new to learn about the world or that everything seems dull.

According to Dr. Castel, staying physically and mentally active helps keep our minds sharp. "Research shows that physical exercise such as walking can improve brain function and memory, and being socially connected has wide-spread benefits for the brain," he shared.

"Thus, it is likely a combination of things that keep us sharp, such as being physically active, talking to people, reading, being connected, and remaining curious about things that are important."

The r/Damnthatsinteresting subreddit has been around for a while now. Founded back in late July of 2013, it’ll be celebrating its 9th birthday very soon.

In that time, the sub has amassed a multi-million-member community and carved out a pretty damn large niche for itself on Reddit and the internet at large. If you love their content, then you should definitely join the subreddit. However, before you share any interesting things of your own, there are a few rules to be aware of.

New members should definitely check out the sidebar before posting anything. It’s got all the guidelines they’ll need to make sure that the content they share is relevant and of the highest quality possible. The subreddit cares about keeping standards high, as it’s what’s helped it entrench its position as a popular community in the first place.

One of the main things you should be aware of is that your posts have to fit the r/Damnthatsinteresting theme. “This subreddit is for things that are interesting and cool. Content that is only cute, funny, a meme, or 'mildly interesting' will be removed. Posts should be able to elicit a reaction of ‘Damnthatsinteresting,’” the moderators explain that the pics and videos shared should elicit a powerful reaction from the audience. Anything less than stellar has its place elsewhere on Reddit.

Meanwhile, you should avoid using clickbait in your titles. Sure, most people enjoy getting attention online. But it should be the content itself that shines, not a sneakily-crafted title that grabs people’s attention only to then disappoint them. The mods have a strict no-clickbait policy and will remove posts that violate this rule.

Even though curiosity isn’t a sin, there should be some limits on what information is available to everyone. At least that’s what scientist Steven Wooding, a member of the Institute of Physics in the UK, thinks. In an earlier interview with Bored Panda, he stressed that there’s a need to protect the wider public in some cases.

"There have to be some limits to information, for the protection of the general public and those trying to use such information. One area where this is common is in the field of computer security. The fine details of how to do an exploit are withheld to stop low-level hackers from simply following a recipe to cause havoc on the internet. We mustn't make it too easy for bad people to do bad things,” Steven shared with Bored Panda.

"You probably can't stop things from being discovered. If you ban it in one country, another will pursue it to gain a competitive advantage. And if all countries agree on a ban, some curious people will probably continue to work on it," he said that it is very difficult to control the spread of information.

"In general, I think we should learn about everything about how the world and universe work. It's how that knowledge is applied later on that is debatable," the scientist pointed out that it’s not the information itself, but rather its application, that raises questions about how accessible knowledge should be.

According to Steven, humility helps when trying to get closer to the truth. It’s inevitable that we’ll all make some factual mistakes. It’s important to embrace that and move past it.

"Nobody likes to learn they were giving out incorrect information in the past. It hurts, but we have to push through it, accept new facts and work with them. After all, they could lead to the next big breakthrough," he said.

"This is constantly happening in science; as new discoveries are made, old discoveries have to be reevaluated," physicist Steven told Bored Panda.

"Try to view the world as a child does. Basically, keep asking 'why?' questions. As you learn the answer to one question, another will arise, and so on. It is a common situation in science that the more we know, the more questions there are. Keep questioning the world around you," he shared how we can keep our curiosity alive.