A single picture might be worth a thousand words, but far more impressive is how strongly they can make us feel. There are some images out there that can unnerve you so much that you practically feel them through the screen… even though you might be thousands of miles away from what’s happening.
Bored Panda has compiled this list of images from all over the internet that are bound to make you feel uncomfortable. Scroll down for the best of the worst. But do keep in mind that this list is only for the bravest of Pandas—you may want to be careful if you’re extremely empathetic, sensitive (hi!), or don’t enjoy the company of bugs.
Bored Panda wanted to learn more about empathy, so we got in touch with social psychologist Alison Jane Martingano, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, and the host of the ‘What Do You Mean?’ blog on Psychology Today. She was kind enough to explain to us why it is that we feel other people’s discomfort and pain when looking at photos and explained how empathy isn’t just a reflex but can also be trained and cultivated, like a ‘muscle.’ You’ll find our full interview with her below.
#1 My Broken Arm From When I Was 11 Years Old. I Didn’t Even Cry
Image source: non_bianary_Anthoney
#2 My Teammate May Have Broken Her Finger At Volleyball Practice
Image source: sh_sh_shutyourmouth
#3 Got A Splinter Under My Thumbnail
Image source: Sv182
#4 My Cousin’s Friend’s Foot Got Impaled While Riding His Dirt Bike
Image source: reddit.com
#5 I Have Become The Cat Toy
Image source: QuirkyWafer4
#6 I Really Should’ve Tied My Hair Together. Still Have Much Left, But Damn, That Hurted
Image source: Additional_Cat_594
#7 My Girlfriend Got Nailed At Work
Image source: chrystal-mighties
#8 So This Is Definitely Not A Place Where I Was Trying To Put The Nail
Image source: jack_shadow43
#9 I Had One Of Those Little Pieces Of Skin And Pulled It
Image source: Space_Cleaner
#10 I Got A Sunburn, And My Skin Is Starting To Peel Off, So I Can Make A Little Pouch For Coins
Image source: Many_Wrap_6109
#11 Eyelid Somehow Got Stuck In The Zipper Of His Jacket
Image source: reddit.com
#12 I Accidentally Ripped Out My Eyelashes An Hour Before My Wedding
Image source: landofbizarre
#13 I Got Out Of Bed Last Night And Didn’t See This Charger That Had Fallen Off The Table. I Tried To Take A Step Back, When I Transferred My Weight And Heard A “Pop” Sound
Image source: 560guy
#14 Here’s A Photo Of My Hand Cramp
Image source: Totally_Fubar_666
#15 I Stepped On A LEGO Block And Broke My Ankle
Image source: bertbert1111
#16 Fell Asleep In The Bath. Finger Brains
Image source: neeto85
#17 Fluorescent Eyedrops Show The Scratches On My Partner’s Cornea After A Factory Accident. So That’s Why It Hurts
Image source: ActiasLunacorn
#18 This Chinese Guy With A Major Sunburn
Image source: ductions
#19 What Could Go Wrong If I Take A Picture With This Gopher Snake I Found On The Road?
Image source: drewstrummer
#20 I Was Working On Saturday Morning, And This Happened
Image source: OkOutlandishness6550
#21 Getting Braids Done Too Tightly
Image source: KirstyNOTKristy
#22 My Foot After Wearing A Wet Boot With A Hole In It For 10 Hours
Image source: itsalltucci
#23 Huntsman Spider Biting Someone
#24 I Slammed My Finger In My Car Door, And Just As It Was About To Finish Healing, I Smashed It Again
Image source: RewardInteresting521
#25 I Managed To Dislocate My Finger In 2 Directions At Once
Image source: cadred48
#26 Here’s Me With A Giant Spider Hanging From My Mouth. It Fell Out Of A Tree And Grabbed My Lip On The Way Down
Image source: Ichorice_Malign
#27 Shot A Nail Through My Hand
Image source: Truckeeseamus
#28 Apparently I Turned On The Wrong Burner
Image source: Wizard_of_Claus
#29 When Fishing Goes Wrong
Image source: potatoheads82
#30 I Saw My First Ever Mississippi Cactus. Flung Right Off Of My Bike Tire And Into My Leg
Image source: billytooslow
#31 My Cat Got Out, And I Tried To Bring Him Inside, But Instead I Stepped On A Nail. Fun Times
Image source: reddit.com
#32 Eczema Seems To Be Infected Once Again, And I Need To Wait Until Monday To See A Doctor. It’s As Painful As It Looks. Feels Like Ants Are Crawling Under My Skin
Image source: homowithoutsapiens
#33 Careful When Washing Up Piping Bags. Pain Ensued. I Felt Like A Fish On A Whole Load Of Barbs
Image source: scow1ey
#34 I Walked Through A Fly Strip This Morning. I’ve Spent An Hour Shampooing Glue And Fly Guts Out Of My Hair
Image source: queendank
#35 A Different Kind Of Sticky Fingers
Image source: hughwouldnotbelieve
#36 I Decided To Take Off My Shoes And Let The Mosquitos Eat Me Alive For Twenty Minutes Or So. Once Back In My Truck, I Scratched My Feet For Three Hours Straight
Image source: Joel Sartore
#37 After A Day Of Work, I Sat Down And Noticed A Piece Of Wire Stuck Half An Inch In My Leg
Image source: Tantonev
#38 Sacrificed His Hand To Test An Ultrasound Mosquito Repeller
Image source: Biogents AG
#39 The Best Way To Get An Eye Patch Is To Trust Your Big Brother Enough To Play This Game
Image source: realjknoxville
#40 I Accidentally Stabbed Myself With A Meat Thermometer
Image source: davedude115
#41 Just A Little Itch
Image source: otomennn
#42 A Picture From 3 Years Ago. My Shoe Got Punctured By A Spile From A Bush And Hit My Foot. The Pain Was Dear God
Image source: Cat_The_E
#43 This Is What Real Pain Means
Image source: crazy_kutas
#44 Trying To Catch A Cactus From Falling Over With 2 Hands. Other Hand Has Several Needles Buried In The Skin I Can’t Get Out
Image source: S1lentA0
#45 I Was Hired To Do Maternity Photoshoot With A Four-Pound Swarm Of Bees, Numbering About 20,000, Covering My Clients Belly, With Some On Her Arms, Neck And Face
Image source: Kendrah Damis Photography
#46 Today, I Pulled My Own Tooth Out With These Dollar Store Pliers
Image source: Sirnando138
#47 I Accidentally Dropped A Fork And Stepped On It
Image source: WilhelminaWestwood
#48 Summer Has Come Again This Year
Image source: shoko55mmts
#49 Want To Stop And Take A Shot? Or Put Together A Bouquet? Then Feed A Bunch Of Mosquitoes. This Was Awful
Image source: anastasiagav
#50 These Piercings Looks Very Painful
Image source: OptionalOptions
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