This might be not the first time you’re clicking on a link to check out pictures of annoying things. In fact, there’s a chance you’ve done it on multiple occasions, maybe even a few dozen times. That’s because, in a very contradictory way, mildly infuriating pictures are very appealing.
The popularity of the “mildly infuriating” genre is further proven by the number of sources you can find that share collections of frustrating images. This time, we found all of these on two Facebook groups, one with over 2,000 and the other with over 12,000 members. This means that there are people out there that want to see frustrating images on their feeds every day. Odd, isn’t it?
Scroll down to see if the following images appeal to your taste and read on to understand why you keep coming back for more.
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So why is it that when you see misaligned tiles in a public bathroom, you can’t help but snap a picture to share it with your friends and family? Well, there might be a few things at play here, but emotional catharsis through social validation is probably the best guess.
Emotional catharsis is a release of tension that builds up when experiencing a certain emotion. For example, when you’re sad, the emotion might fill you up to the point when you overflow and might start crying. After that, you feel lighter and calmer because you released that feeling from your body—you experienced a catharsis.
Similarly, when you fail to neatly open the foil part off of a Nutella jar, you can get understandably annoyed. You can, of course, let that annoyance build until you overflow and start shouting at a random stranger. Or, you can let it go right away by tweeting about it to the world and letting others validate your frustration. Because sometimes, all you need to soothe your soul is a random person on the internet saying that they feel your pain.
On the other side of the screen, when we are looking at mildly infuriating images, we are exercising our empathy muscle. Most of us are familiar with the pain of seeing all the toppings fall off the pizza slice as you’re picking it up, and we feel bad for people going through it. We relate to it, and that’s why we click that like button and comment with our support.
We also know friends who can relate to the same pain so these pictures are also highly sharable. We seek to connect and commiserate so we tag people and retweet posts that floats the frustration bubble up to the top. A study published in 2016 showed that social media usage can increase a person’s feelings of empathy, and these images are a great example of that.
On top of relatability, mildly infuriating pictures are also very universal. The annoying experiences transcend the need for words and they occur no matter where you find yourself on the globe. This gives them even more potential for being shared and appreciated everywhere. After all, people from different backgrounds can be familiar with the frustration of someone parking just a tad bit too close.
To be fair, if those motorbikes were there first it looks as if it would be a bit tricky to open the driver's door.
On the other hand, according to Joe Palka, a journalist who co-wrote “Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us” with Flora Lichtman, annoyances can be very individualistic. For example, if public transportation always comes on time wherever you live, you might get annoyed if it’s running late. However, if it’s never on time, you are probably not too bothered if it turns up later than expected. This might be part of the reason why there’s so little research on things that rub us the wrong way.
It's funny they husked it just to wrap it back up again. Possibly one of the dumbest things I've ever seen
People who do this and leave meat in unrefrigerated sections need to be charged for it. Just wasting food and depending on how long it was there, you're making a mess and making it smell
I found a pack of meat in the magazine area of the checkout on Saturday. Gave it to the cashier. People are lazy.
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This is not the same as putting a perishable somewhere it can spoil or discarding trash. It's more than 1/2 full and doesn't even seem to be from the same store. It's more like they set it down and forgot it than any malice or discourtesy.
That’s what I was thinking. It’s practically full and that’s obviously not store merchandise. I have done that before in a target- I spent 10 minutes hunting it down but it’s pretty easy to get excited about something you see on the shelf and set your drink down then get distracted by something else. The people who leave fridge and freezer products out can go rot, though.
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Two separate issues - people leaving their trash wherever they happen to be; and people leaving refrigerated store goods in i refrigerated areas of the shop. Both are marks of lazy, disrespectful people who would likely have a complete fit if you left as much as a coffee ring on the kitchen counter. But as soon as they’re in a shop, they turn feral - as a way of demonstrating their superiority over the (they see them as) wretched staff who are so far below them they don’t deserve the respect these people demand of others. Both groups - the trash-leavers and the goods dumpers - are disgusting pigs who should be captured on store video & have their images blown up poster size on the store’s front window notifying them of their banning from the establishment.
Probably a pell mell smokin' 400 pound hogzilla.... you know the type--- smells like garlic.....
I dare you to drink that cuz you will fully need all those items on your a$$. Puffs, Kleenex, wet wipes, antibiotics, a bidet, etc.
i work in a coffee shop. we had a bunch of kids in who all got iced drinks (they were very rude to me as well). we had a basket display of reusable cold cups that people could buy, and the kids, instead of putting their cups in one of the many bins available, put their cups in the display. meaning i had to not only deal with their rubbish but clean all the display cups and the basket as well. i was not happy.
This being DG, this could have been an employee's drink they accidentally left there. I used to work at DG and one of my coworkers would leave Dr Pepper bottles in random places. I had to hunt down a drink I left on a shelf before when I used to work there.
This is also the person who would steal a diaper, change the baby, and leave the soiled one on the shelf.
Years ago my friends and I found a bottle of flex seal flex sealed to the shelf at Walmart. It was absolutely hilarious, but I also felt bad for the employees who had to clean it up.
Everyone at the target I go to leave their empty boba cups on the shelves and it's really f*****g annoying
Palka and Lichtman did identify three essential qualities for an annoyance. First is that it has to be noxious without being harmful. Second, and that’s a big one, is that it needs to be unpredictable and intermittent. Lastly, to ramp up the frustration, it has to persist just long enough to be somewhat bearable but also not quite. Altogether, this makes an annoying situation to remember.
Sometimes the annoyance we feel is not at all related to the images we’re seeing, it’s something we’ve been carrying with us that needs unleashing. Our lives might not always offer a chance to release frustrations related to our family or work routines. A list full of other people’s annoyances allows us to let go of our grievances while, at the same time, giving us a distraction from our problems.
Maybe the question asked for the answer to be an improper fraction?
Another thing that makes these mildly infuriating posts so appealing and popular is the humor in it. A lot of the mildly frustrating images are quite ridiculous and funny in their own way. No one is experiencing real harm that’s detrimental to their well-being, they’re just a little unlucky. This allows one to smile at the little misfortunes without feeling guilty. Sure, your cat sitting on your pizza is a bummer, but it’s also quite hilarious at the same time.
All in all, mildly infuriating pictures is quite a contradiction. They’re things that make you frustrated while also making you smile. They’re something you never want to experience in your life that you also can’t get enough of. In other words, see you here next time. There’s definitely going to be a next time.
For any Americans reading: this is a normal amount of water to have in a toilet. You'll see it only goes up to just above the earphones themselves. I've never understood why your bowls are almost full and yet you still seem to have so many stories about clogged toilets. I've never encountered a clogged toilet in 40 years of being in the UK.
Waiting for the after photo, the one where the employee rams all the carts together against this guy's bumper. ... Just because you can park there, doesn't mean you should.
I mean, that's terrible quality fabric. But you could still patch it!
as a french citizen, I declare war on this person and I denounce him/her for crime against the viennoiserie
Well, it *is* centered on the mantlepiece. This is something my ex would do. He's very precise but has no eye for artistry.
Note: this post originally had 87 images. It’s been shortened to the top 45 images based on user votes.
dear author: it would help a lot, if the original titels/descriptions would have been included.. i sometimes wondered what the problem was :)
Ngl I got to number 10 and started to feel itchy with unbearable frustration at these images
Some of these were mildly infuriating, but others (like the messed up patterns) make my brain itch and that is a million times worse
Bowtechie, you didn't deserve downvote. I upvoted for you. Some of these were much worse than others, I guess different things annoy different people.
Load More Replies... dear author: it would help a lot, if the original titels/descriptions would have been included.. i sometimes wondered what the problem was :)
Ngl I got to number 10 and started to feel itchy with unbearable frustration at these images
Some of these were mildly infuriating, but others (like the messed up patterns) make my brain itch and that is a million times worse
Bowtechie, you didn't deserve downvote. I upvoted for you. Some of these were much worse than others, I guess different things annoy different people.
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