When we keep getting bombarded by the 24/7 news cycle full of daunting headlines and fascinating stories, it’s easy to feel overloaded with information. Suddenly, you become weary, confused, and convinced nothing will surprise you anymore. But if that’s the case, this post is here to show you there are plenty of inspiring things happening in the world as well.

There’s one absolutely delightful corner on the internet that consistently amazes us every day. Yup, we’re talking about the Mildly Interesting subreddit. This powerhouse with over 19.8M members is on a mission to document and share entertaining things from their daily routines to make everyone’s jaws drop. Mildly.

We can never get enough of this fine line between the mind-blowing and the boring, just take a look at our earlier compilations here, here, and here. So we thought it was time to comb the page and round up the newest feature of their best latest photos. Continue scrolling, upvote your favorites as you go, and share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

#1 My Chickens Greeting Me When I Come Home From Work

Image credits: eagledragonblood

#2 This Pet Shop Doesn’t Sell Bunnies At Easter

Image credits: TheDampTeacloth

#3 A German Supermarket Pulled All The Russian Products In Its Russian Aisle And Replaced Them With Sunflower Seeds

Image credits: thedubiousstylus

The Mildly Interesting subreddit has been around for quite some time and celebrated its 10th birthday just a few months ago. This online group continues to be one of the strongest and biggest communities on the platform and amazes millions of people by sharing “photos that are, you know, mildly interesting”. The page is full of gently exciting and novel stuff members found while going about their day that made them do a double-take.

It won’t come as a surprise that we’re used to living our lives a certain way — we have our daily routines, our schools, jobs, cafes, and other places to hang out with our family and friends. Even when we go online and check our social media feeds, few things can genuinely surprise us. So when something appears not quite like we were used to, we feel this breath of fresh air entering our bored minds.

#4 One Of My Friends Deleted Social Media And Is Attempting To Stay In Contact Via Mail…

Image credits: BrittanyBabbles

#5 I Traced Around My Vitiligo Spots

Image credits: oldmate-58

#6 If You Ever Meet Steve Martin By Chance, He Gives You A Card As Proof You Met Him

Image credits: Monkeytitan

As you’re scrolling through this list, you’ll notice that most photos members share spark at least a bit of interest. They remind us to be mindful of our surroundings, to stop and think about what we know, and to open up ourselves to exciting new possibilities. After all, humans often get labeled as a curious species.

We’re often told curiosity is our motivator for learning, creativity, and further healthy development. However, Dr. Eric Maisel, a psychotherapist, teacher, creativity coach, and author of Redesign Your Mind, believes it should not be considered as the driving force behind everything we know.

“Most people are incurious — they aren’t really curious at all. In all the college classes I’ve ever taken, almost nobody asked any questions (except, ‘Will that be on the test?’),” he told Bored Panda. “Some people are highly curious and become our scientists, artists, inventors, etc. Most people — let’s make up a statistic — 98% of people aren’t particularly curious at all.”

#7 My Local Gym Gave The Handicap Drawing A Noticeable Bicep

Image credits: Davicitorra

#8 Came Across A Typewriter For Writing Music

Image credits: tachoknight

#9 Mcdonald’s In The Netherlands Now Serve Drinks With A Cardboard Lid Instead Of A Plastic Lid

Image credits: iF2ix

Although we like to think of ourselves as clever beings, we often get distracted by constant interruptions and miss a lot of what’s going on around us. Moreover, we might have no idea how much we’re missing. And even when we’re able to concentrate on one particular thing, there’s a big possibility important details would slip through our eyes.

“We’re most curious when something actually matters to us,” Dr. Maisel explained. “We are incurious as to where the exit signs are on our airplane, but when the plane hits the water, we are very curious as to where they are. Suddenly, we really want to know.”

“High curiosity is connected to our life purposes and our meaning needs. If, say, one of our life purposes is to start a successful business, then we throw ourselves into learning what works and doing what works,” he added.

#10 The Person Who Lived In My Apartment Before Me Planted Pineapples

Image credits: Early_Gold_9715

#11 A Dedicated Bench For Jim, Some Miles Into A Hiking Trail

Image credits: Kahluma

#12 Cardboard Rings For This 6 Pack Instead Of The Plastic Ones

Image credits: thehow2dad

While most people believe curiosity drives our creativity, Dr. Maisel told us it’s probably the other way around. It’s more likely for creative people to be more curious than for uncreative people to become more curious, he said. “Uncreative people are most likely to stay uncreative. I don’t think there’s a ‘curiosity vaccine’ for that. As to how we ‘use’ curiosity, we use it the same way we ‘use’ love. We love by loving. We are curious by being curious.”

#13 A Doll With Down Syndrome Sold At A Big-Box Store

Image credits: Zombait

#14 I Made An Alphabet By Carefully Eating Parts Of Pretzels

Image credits: ziggyziggystardust

#15 My Dad Found Apples In Tomato Boxes Labeled As Blueberries

Image credits: bigbrothersrule

One piece of advice the creativity coach would like to share with you is to simply learn by doing. “If you’re curious about how to write a novel, write a novel. Don’t take a million how-to-write-a-novel classes. That isn’t curiosity, that’s avoidance. Learn by doing. If you’re genuinely curious, that’s the way,” Dr. Maisel suggested.

#16 My Dad Wrote Isaac Asimov A Question When He Was Young And Asimov Took The Time To Answer Him

Image credits: tomboski

#17 The Sun Reflecting Off My Side Mirror Melted A Mirror-Shaped Hole In The Frost On The Window

Image credits: stoptye

#18 My Leggings Matched The Chair At The Vacation Rental

Image credits: EmeraldOwl11

Redditor RedSquaree, who has been moderating submissions for Mildly Interesting for many years now, told us earlier that it’s hard to define a secret formula for a mildly interesting photo. “Everyone probably has a slightly different interpretation or idea of what is mildly interesting.” But they believe that the concept of relatability is most important—it has to be “nothing spectacular but something novel”. But apparently, this comes with its own issues. The moderator revealed this ambiguity sometimes makes it difficult to moderate the content: “Sometimes we see users post to r/MildlyInteresting first (because if they didn’t, it would break rule 3 of our page). Then, they go on to crosspost to r/DamnThatsInteresting. And we’re thinking to ourselves, ‘r/HolUp, it can’t be both’.”

#19 My Drain Was Blocked So I Pulled It Up And A Frog Came Out

Image credits: infinaflip

#20 Security Camera Inside The Car Wash Is Equipped With A Squeegee Wiper

Image credits: BayYawnSay

#21 This Book Uses A Drawing Of A Baby With Vitiligo

Image credits: Kickincutie

RedSquaree also told Bored Panda people should expose themselves “to more novelty and ambiguity” in their day-to-day lives if they want to keep a sense of curiosity as they grow older. “Much of our content is novel and/or ambiguous. Go about your day tomorrow and think, ‘If I were to submit a photograph to r/MildlyInteresting, what would it be?’ Be on the lookout for things that are just novel and ambiguous enough to arouse only mild interest. Snap.”

#22 The Indian 1 Rupee Coin Just Has A Dude Giving A Thumbs Up On It

Image credits: Markisworking

#23 I Have Been Keeping A Collection Of The Tiny Balls In Pen Ink Cartridges Since Middle School

Image credits: lily_hunts

#24 A Stop Sign In My Town Is So Old It’s Become A Death Metal Band Logo

Image credits: FalconerGuitars

#25 This Snow Castle In Someone’s Front Yard

Image credits: Unapologetic_Canuck

#26 Family Heirloom Watch That Was Passed Down To Me. Traces Of The Family Photo Carried On The Back Are Still Visible

Image credits: IncandescentSquid

#27 My Dishwasher Projects The Time Remaining On The Floor Because It Doesn’t Have A Visible Front Panel

Image credits: SailAway56

#28 The Trains In Japan Have Women Only Cars

Image credits: DEEP_SEA_MAX

#29 I Was In A Motorcycle Accident And My Gear Did Such A Good Job That My Only Skin Injury Was A Knee Armor Imprint

Image credits: zogmuffin

#30 This Packet Of Sponges Came With A Free Hedgehog

Image credits: Changmeister888

#31 72 Carat Tourmaline

Image credits: TheDiceMan2

#32 A Letter To Humans Of The Future On The Site Of Iceland’s First Dead Glacier

Image credits: Lord_Balconyham

#33 Fresh Wolf Print I Came Across While Lost In Denali, Alaska

Image credits: popebologna

#34 Today The Sky In Murcia, Spain, Turned Orange Because Of Dust From The Sahara

Image credits: Nightrach

#35 My Gardening Tool Kit Came With A Claw Glove

Image credits: Shrimpio

#36 Thickness Of Ice On My Windshield In Romania

Image credits: AndrewwwG

#37 I Found A Roman Coin While Out Walking

Image credits: Demongeeks8

#38 Shooting A Laser Through The Transparent Maple Leaf On Canadian Currency Projects The Value On The Wall

Image credits: pyroboy7

#39 This Guy Makes Pizza Using Volcanic Vents On The Volcán De Pacaya In Guatemala

Image credits: Yellowman230

#40 My Husbands Uncles Have Used The Same Birthday Card Since 1974

Image credits: Zeezee772

#41 The Way The Pillar In My Home Split The Light Ray Into Only The Color Indigo

Image credits: DiSforza

#42 Parent’s Dog On Near Identical Rug

Image credits: Psydreus

#43 There’s A Dried Flower In This 165 Years Old Latin Book I Just Found In Our Attic

Image credits: yepjeeway

#44 The Vet Put A Warning On My Dogs Medicine For Him Not To Operate Heavy Machinery Or Drive While Affected

Image credits: GreyCatOrangeBeard

#45 The Book I Borrowed Was Last Lended 41 Years Ago

Image credits: Gandalf_the_almighty

#46 Bus Interior Made To Look Like A Forest

Image credits: jyrisa

#47 This Burn On My Finger Doesn’t Get Dirty

Image credits: Philly_cheapskate

#48 Portuguese Man O’ War Stinging Tentacle Wrapped Around My Ankle

Image credits: CatioDaddio

#49 My Mug Is Sweating Tea Through The Cracks In The Ceramic

Image credits: spky_

#50 The Other Side Of A Fast Food Soda Fountain

Image credits: trashd0gs