Many things can call for a double-check, be it something unusual we thought we saw at the store (until we glanced at it again and realized it was nothing out of the ordinary) or something unexpected we noticed while browsing on the computer. No matter the scenario, such situations typically make us stop in our tracks for a second and go “wait, what?!”
Plenty of situations evoking such a reaction are shared on the subreddit titled exactly that. Boasting more than 14,000 members, the ‘Wait What’ community is dedicated to all sorts of unexpected turns of events and humorous stories, some of which you can find in the list below; so scroll down to view them and see for yourself how a joke can stop you dead in your tracks.
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Vaccines Exposed
I don't think this was the experience Laurence was expecting.
Yta And Need More Socks
While typically accompanying something rather shocking, wait, what moments can actually benefit a person, as surprising information is believed to enhance one’s memory, consequently helping them learn.
According to Scientific American, novelty within a familiar context allows a person to store a certain event in their memory more easily, thanks to the brain part known as the ‘novelty detector’.
Located in the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex, for those well familiar with what’s happening inside our heads, the said ‘novelty detector’ is the hippocampus—one of the most significant brain regions in regards to discovering, processing, and storing sensory information.
The reason why the hippocampus is called the ‘novelty detector’ is because it is activated more by new stimuli than by something one is already familiar with.
Shaming Is Bad, No Matter Who It's Directed To
👁️👃 👁️ What
Scientific American continued to explain that the hippocampus compares new information with already stored knowledge, and if the information doesn’t match—meaning that there’s something new and likely surprising—it releases a pulse of dopamine into one’s system.
After traveling through different parts of the brain, it connects to the hippocampus again and triggers release of more dopamine, creating a feedback mechanism known as the hippocampal-SN/VTA loop, which can help people memorize and learn things more easily.
Wait A Dang Minute
Everyone Would Use Shapeshifting In Their Own Ways I Guess
Okay I love this, would totally choose the last option .. freak the c**p out of that old a-hole
Wait What
The Duolingo owl has always creeped me out. There is something wrong with that bird!
Our memory—and consequently, our ability to learn—are not the only aspects that tend to be affected by unexpected wait, what moments. In a Ted Talk back in 2019, a psychologist and professor emeritus at Southern Oregon University, as well as an expert in life-changing events, Dr. Michael A. Rousell, PhD, suggested that surprises can change our beliefs, too.
That's Just How I Am
At Least He's Having Fun
Not really! He's happy --she's not! HE must have filled for it and dang glad it's over!! 😀
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A picture speaks a thousand words, this picture explains why he is getting divorced.
This picture doesn't explain why the divorce is happening any better than reading only his or her version of events on Reddit.
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Haha I just posted that too, didnt see your comment 😆
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My ex and I went out to dinner after signing our divorce papers. The waitress asks us if we're celebrating anything and we said yea, our divorce. She laughed until she realized we were serious, not all divorces are sad 🤷🏻♀️
Can I ask, out of curiosity, what made you guys get divorced? Sounds like you stayed friendly!
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People thinking this picture explains, or that they understand, why these two are getting divorced from this one picture is f*****g WILD. This picture is meaningless to us strangers without more context.
It says a lot more about the people who interpret it than it does about the people in the photo
Load More Replies... I'm always uncomfortable with this kind of photo. Those two women did not consent to have their picture, and the context, spread all over the internet where they will last for years. The ex-wife is well shot of that a. hole.
It's actually a meme image of a Stardew valley YouTuber who divorced everyone in the game
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I did the happy dance on steroids the day my divorce was final from my abuser ex!!!
Met her in Thailand. Married her in Thailand. Going back to Thailand. Just guessing.
I won' t lie, this one kills me! The ex wife and the lawyer are so just done with his bullplop and he's just smiling taking a selfie....SO funny
Me and a group of girlfriends went to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate one of my friend's divorce. She got the call from her attorney while she was on the beach that it was finalized. We had a BLAST that night!
I saw this with blitz stolas and Stella. Now I know where they got it
This is a photo of the moment when he is finally divorced that's the context he took a photo when he became a bachelor the person on the left is the lawyer who just signed the official paperwork the woman on the right is his formal wife who is pissed that he's taken a photo of this
The fact shes the one looking unhappy likely means its his idea. The fact ppl assume shes divorcing him cause of the pic arent good are reading facial expressions. Still jerk move to do but imma assume its deserved of he is this happy. (Please pandas remember the female isnt always the victim. Men can be victims too)
Loser. I'm biased as the victim of my parents' divorce, but how can you celebrate sth like this? I hate divorce.
Could be a victim of an unhappy marriage, which is much worse than divorce
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She's escaping, he's freeing himself for his next victim. Edit: I see that a rapey incel didn't like my comment.
So disrespectful. Poor woman she look sad and who knows maybe she gets deported if she married this pos with a k1 90D visa. At least blurr her face out. You’re not suppose to be this happy when divorcing dude.
Maybe he made a wise decision divorcing her. Maybe she's a humourless know it all jerkwad?
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Professor Rousell started his Ted Talk with an example; he asked the audience to imagine themselves standing in traffic, when they see the car next to them start to hover all of a sudden. “You’d be surprised,” he said, adding that in such an instance, one’s eyes might open wide and their jaw might drop; they are likely to experience a burst of dopamine and instantly stop what they were thinking or doing.
“And then you instantly form a new belief—cars can hover,” the expert continued, and pointed out that people don’t form such a belief intentionally; it happens to them and there’s nothing they can do to undo it.
Oh
I Would’ve Stared Back And Lost The Contest
Amputation???
Dr. Rousell pointed out that as surprising as hovering cars are, they might make for interesting dinner conversation, but not much more. However, surprises in regards to the beliefs a person holds about themselves can be defining and formative in their life, which means they can be used strategically to intentionally enrich someone else’s life.
One way to do it, according to the professor, is to trigger surprise by suggesting that something one considers a weakness is actually an asset: astonishing someone in such a way hijacks their attention and forces the person on the receiving end to try to make sense of the information, and consequently form a positive belief about themselves.
Well
Well, if it makes OP happy, that's the important thing, I guess.
I Can Only Imagine What It Looked Like For Them
While the surprising pictures on this list might not make people change their personal beliefs for the better, online content in general can lift up their spirits or positively influence their well-being.
Studies suggest that as long as people are mindful about it, routine social media use—logging in to respond to content shared by others, for instance—is positively linked with one’s social well-being, positive mental health, and self-rated health.
Missing The “Eez”
Arrrrrrr Matey
Already Included
A survey carried out by Sky Media found that around one third of people—in Britain, at least—turn to social media for their daily dose of positivity, spending roughly two hours a day seeking it. According to the survey’s results, animal content tends to leave them smiling the most, followed by posts depicting random acts of kindness.
This Happened To Me The Other Day
Awww. Look At That Sad Panda…
Wait Hold Up!
If it’s smile-inducing animal content that appeals to you the most, you might want to move on to Bored Panda’s animal category next, but if you enjoy the somewhat bizarre and surprising content, like the images on this list, continue to browsing these weird and surprising things people just had to share or these dark humor comics with surprising twists next.
Um Hold On
This Ones Kinda On U
Really Bro?
Wait A Minute
Look Once Again
Wait What!!!
Choo Choo I'm A Train Now
That's Not How You Do It
Subscriber Stonk
Have A Nice Day
Now Serving... Fried... Just Fried
The Whole Onion In This Advertisement Has The Peel On It, In The Slicer
Wait What-
But I Want Front Legs!
He Is Right Though
But How?!?!
Ayo Wait What?
Not Grandma
Fanfic authors are unhinged. I was reading a fanfic and in the notes the author said they developed depression which magically went away. They went to forensics camp and got the highest in their class in some exam and then got cast as Zazu from the Lion King musical at their school. They got a girlfriend also during the whole thing
Wait A Second…
My mam has brown hair, my dad black hair. I've got a ginger sister, a blonde sister, a black haired, and I've got brown. Ain't no mucking about, it's because genetics is a blender. My mam's mam is ginger, my mam's dad is Brown. My dad was abandoned so we don't know about his parents, but when we tracked down his siblings they were all blonde.
How Did This Happen
Corona Free
Skill Issue
Get Roasted
Hmmm...interesting
From reddit: Not BS. But they only receive a degree if they're in the burning building. Some of them will get first degree, some will get second degree, and some will get third degree....we are talking about burns right? Because obviously you're not going to get a PHD or even pass the class.
Wait... What?!
Wait A Sec
Oh, Ummm
Note: this post originally had 73 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
This post was the most incomprehensable thing I've ever wasted my time reading.
This post was the most incomprehensable thing I've ever wasted my time reading.
