How do you define ‘interesting’? What is interesting? After writing a surplus of articles about interesting facts and mildly interesting stuff, we can tell you that it’s all about gut feeling. Humans know humans, just like we know that we will never be tired of looking at previously unseen, fluffy animals from exotic corners of the Earth.

Today’s r/interesting, then, is a rather normal cousin to ‘Mildly Interesting’. Not bound by a specific timeline or subject matter, this community describes itself as “a place to share something interesting.” And as you’ll see on today’s list, it sure does that, bringing bite-size infotainment like a cooler version of ‘Encyclopedia Britannica’ where people vote on what’s hot and what’s, well, less interesting. Buckle up, pandas, because it’s going to get interesting!

#1 I Would Find This Interesting

Image credits: Lost_Tumbleweed_5669

In the early 1980s, at the dawn of the age of the personal computer, people were afraid of the darn machines. ‘Computerphobia’ was spreading like wildfire. And the idea that one day we’d all be chronically obsessed with computers, in as much with the internet, seemed as ridiculous as having all tomes of Encyclopedia Britannica and much more at the tip of your finger.

Today, however, we’d be pretty much lost without going online. According to one study, more than half of Americans admit to learning most of what they know thanks to the internet. When the pandemic happened and we were all collectively locked inside our homes, God knows how bad things could have gotten if not for the ability to have online classrooms.

#2 Kathey ❤ What An Effort ?

Image credits: Longjumping-Ad9665

“You can learn anything on the internet, so why do I so often learn things I don’t want to know?” Daniel T. Willingham, author of ‘Outsmart Your Brain,’ ponders in his article. It’s a valid question, particularly when we consider just how much information we are constantly bombarded with.

According to the latest estimates, 328.77 million terabytes of data are pumped into the web each day. Of course, it’s not clear how much of it is new information unseen on the net before. But considering that it takes around 5-6 hours (or two Avengers films) to read a single, unfiltered terabyte of data – and two more hours to stop your addicted fingers from scrolling friends’ feeds on Insta – we’re kind of happy there’s r/interesting to filter out the most curious bits of it.

#3 A 106-Year-Old From The Philippines Is Vogue’s Oldest Ever Cover Model

Image credits: BigfootDynamite

#4 This Sundial Shows The Time Digitally

Image credits: Owsn

#5 Ain’t Stupid If It Works

Image credits: bethebumblebee

#6 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar And Coach John Wooden. ‘’never Forget Who Helped You’’

Image credits: brolbo

In order to understand what makes this subreddit so appealing not only to us, curious pandas, but to the rest of its 250,000 daily visitors, Bored Panda reached out to the folks who run r/interesting. “One of the main challenges faced by the mods is people not being civil,” u/Yell0w_Submarine, who joined the community’s moderating team this March in order to help it grow, explained via message.

#7 Just Look The Précision

Image credits: brolbo

#8 American Firefighters Extinguishing The Fire In Mexico Without Crossing The Border

Image credits: Owsn

#9 Green House, Made From Recycled Church Stained Glass Windows

Image credits: Late-Yesterday2106

Another problem arises from users who engage in spamming activities, like sharing links to malicious websites or repeatedly posting the same content across various communities to accumulate internet points known as ‘karma.’ “Making sure every comment is read can be a long task,” they said.

#10 Tibetan White Yak – The Snow White Yak Is The Rarest Color Phase Of Yak In The World. In China And Tibet They Figure Their Numbers To Be Around 3% Of The Population, With The Vast Majority Of Those Residing In Tianzhu Tibet, There Almost All Of Their Yaks Are White!

Image credits: ailmn_cwb

#11 Bloody Australian Dawn

Image credits: MOKSHA82

#12 Flathead Lake, The Clearest Water On Earth

Image credits: Unfair-Purpose-2100

As you might have guessed, occasionally there’s someone who throws in a random Skittle into the bowl of M&Ms that is r/interesting posts. “We do get a lot of mildly interesting and not interesting/off-topic submissions,” u/Yell0w_Submarine noted. “While it is subjective, in my opinion, the posts that are mostly approved are original, create a feeling of amazement and are just sometimes really cool. ‘Mildly’ interesting posts, meanwhile, can be coincidences or just do not elicit a sense of amazement.”

#13 British Coins Make A Shield When Put Together

Image credits: Fish_Boi19

#14 110-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Very Well Preserved Discovered Accidentally By Miners In Canada

Image credits: excelsior_frenemy

#15 A Melanistic & Albino Alligator

Image credits: Weekly-Reason9285

It appears, then, that nature is a shared interest among members of r/interesting and Bored Panda readers. “Nature is one of the most popular types of content posted on this sub,” they said. While it’s been found that spending at least 120 minutes, or 2 hours, a week in nature is associated with good health and well-being, dedicating a similar amount of time to immersing ourselves in the captivating world of wildlife on our screens can’t be all that detrimental, right?

#16 This Bonsai Tree Was Planted In 1625 And Has Lived Through A Lot Of History In It’s 400 Years Of Existence. It Survived The Atomic Blast In Hiroshima On August 6, 1945 Even Though It Was Only Two Miles Away At That Time

Image credits: Rifletree

#17 A Snow Leopard In Its Natural Habitat At Spiti Valley, India Appears Flawlessly Camouflaged, Effortlessly Blending Into The Surrounding Environment

Image credits: dikam_saroj

#18 There’s A Very Tiny Muscle In The Forearms That Contracts Only When Lifting The Pinky Finger. Michelangelo’s Moses Sculpture Is Lifting The Pinky, Therefore That Muscle Is Contracted. Incredible Attention To Detail

Image credits: donlic

But what exactly drives us to seek information which may not be necessary or actively sought after? There’s no one simple explanation, Daniel Willingham, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia and the author of ‘Outsmart Your Brain,’ explained to Bored Panda.

“Curiosity is a desire to gain more information,” he said. “We expect ourselves to be curious about things that are either a topic that’s interesting or have some utility for us in the long term.” Apparently, neither of that is 100% true. Instead, Willingham argues that “curiosity seems to be to have a very short time scale it cares about.”

#19 The Duck Is The Mother Of Fishes

Image credits: snxliang

#20 The Third Grade Teacher Teaches Science In A Full Body Suit!

Image credits: Sea_Land_1944

#21 Bic Using The Same Pen Design Since 1955

Image credits: Quimi864

Let’s say, for example, that you’re an ardent stamp collector and stumble upon a conversation where someone claims to possess intriguing insights about the World War II postage stamps that graced France. Your initial reaction? Nonchalance. Why? “You would not feel any curiosity exactly because you feel like you already know pretty much everything, even though it’s of great interest to you,” Willingham argued.

Now, let’s flip the script. Imagine a scenario where someone, unaware of your stamp-collecting prowess, suggests sharing the very knowledge you hold dear. They entice you with the prospect of uncovering a treasure trove of information, as you stand on the precipice of ignorance. Curious, right?

Well, not quite, it turns out. “You wouldn’t feel any curiosity [in the subject] because the information wouldn’t feel meaningful to you,” he explained. “In order for information to feel meaningful, you have to have something to connect it to.”

#22 The Lens Flare In This Photo Looks Like Eric Cartman

Image credits: rraattbbooyy

#23 112 Year-Old Vaccine Cards. And It Didn’t Cause Society To Crumble As You Can See

Image credits: hamcharonstyx

#24 Found A House That Looks Like The One From “Up” In Vancouver, Canada

Image credits: IsaacJB1995

According to Willingham, one of the most important ingredients for the sake of our curiosity is being surrounded by new juicy information that we’re not particularly interested in already. It’s this very notion that subreddits like r/interesting thrive upon, constantly offering users a stream of captivating tidbits. However, this is why traditional educational institutions often struggle to evoke a sense of curiosity in students.

“It’s so difficult for teachers to make children feel curious about school content because some of them already know it. A lot of them don’t know anything at all about it, so they can’t connect with anything.” Unlike the boundless realm of the internet, where we have the freedom to indulge our curiosity by delving deep into topics that pique our interest, the educational system presents a different reality.

In school, we are bound to follow a structured curriculum that encompasses a wide range of subjects. We don’t have the luxury of cherry-picking only the areas that intrigue us. Instead, we must navigate the entire breadth of the curriculum.

#25 The Camera Caught The Light Reflecting Off The Water Droplets Of The Steam At The Right Angle To Make Magical Corn

Image credits: SleepParalysisDemon6

#26 An Afghan Citizen Offering A Cup Of Tea To An U.S. Soldier On The Duty

Image credits: Owsn

#27 A Female Falcon Was Equipped With A Satellite Tracking System In South Africa Before Migrating To Finland. Image Shows Tracker Data. In Just 42 Days, She Flew Over 10.000 Km, At An Incredible Average Of 230 Km Per Day And Nearly In A Straight Line

Image credits: Yell0w_Submarine

With the advent of Google and the ability to access an infinite pool of information at our fingertips, the landscape of curiosity has undergone a profound transformation. “The expectation [nowadays] is that we should feel curious sort of all the time,” Willingham said, noting that this perpetual state of curiosity can be both exhilarating and draining.

Recent statistics show that 1-in-5 Americans admit to feeling overloaded by information – a phenomenon that runs counter to the very essence of curiosity. “There should always be something that we’re eager to learn about or at least enjoy. And if we’re not, we don’t see why we should be bored, right?” 

#28 First Lamb Grown In An Artificial Womb

Image credits: JettMe_Red

#29 Friend Rehabilitated An Injured Chicken And Adopted It As A Pet. Chicken Got To Attend Friend’s Wedding

Image credits: SoftandChewy

#30 Thousands Of Years Ago, The Inuit And Yupik People Of Alaska And Northern Canada Carved Narrow Slits Into Ivory, Antler, And Wood To Create The World’s First Snow Goggles. This Diminished Exposure To Direct And Reflected Ultraviolet Rays—thereby Reducing Eye Strain And Preventing Snow Blindness

Image credits: ailmn_cwb

#31 A Shoe Worn By Allied Spies During World War II Has An Inverted Heel To Mislead The Germans When They Track Their Trail And Direct Them In A Completely Wrong Direction

Image credits: bigbl4ck

#32 This Table

Image credits: NorrisMcNorris

#33 President Obama Sitting For The Very First Ever 3D Presidential Portrait

Image credits: Owsn

#34 Topography Of USA – Pretty Cool

Image credits: Witty_Control6793

#35 Sloth Elephant Tunnel.these Tunnels Were Dug By A Giant Ground Sloth That Lived 10.000 Years Ago In Brazil

Image credits: ailmn_cwb

#36 A 7000-6000 Year Old Burial Of A Young Woman (Aged Around 20 When She Died) And Her Newborn Baby From Vedbaek, Denmark. By Her Head Were 200 Red Deer Teeth, And The Child Is Cradled In The Wing Of A Swan With A Flint Knife At Its Hip. It’s Thought The Pair Died Together In Childbirth

Image credits: MSDeltaBound

#37 Taking Art To A New Level

Image credits: Sapiosexual___

#38 Meteora, Greece

Image credits: MOKSHA82

#39 Weighing Over 400 Pounds, This Is The Heart Of A Blue Whale, The Largest Animal That Has Ever Lived

Image credits: brolbo

#40 Penguin Feathers

Image credits: BigfootDynamite

#41 “Gee’s Golden Langur” Currently Very Endangered. Expressions Are So Human

Image credits: EldenTingz

#42 Alexander The Great 330 Bc, Facial Reconstruction From His Marble Bust

Image credits: sexymess777

#43 What The Pyramid Of Khafre Looked Like 4,500 Years Ago Compared To Today. The Pyramids Of Giza Were Originally Covered With Highly Polished White Limestones, With The Capstones At The Peak Being Covered In Gold

Image credits: MSDeltaBound

#44 In The 1940s, Men Dressed In Short Shorts And Cowboy Boots Served Up Women At A Drive Through Across The Street From Love Field In Dallas, Tx

Image credits: MSDeltaBound

#45 “I See You Have Made 3 Spelling Mistakes”. Last Words Of The Marquis De Favras After Reading His Death Sentence Before Being Hanged (1790)

Image credits: om11011shanti11011om

#46 Most People Just See The Man With A Giant Head On His Knee, And Cannot See The Baby

Image credits: Electronic-Sun-8275

#47 Alpine Refuge From World War I Located At 2760 Meters, Monte Cristallo, Italy

Image credits: TX908

#48 Garter Snakes Coming Out Of Hibernation And Into A Tens Of Thousands Strong Mating Ball In Southern Manitoba, Canada

Image credits: Sea_Land_1944

#49 Disney Tried To Be Creative With Marketing Back In The Day

Image credits: historyinmemes

#50 This Dentist Has A Free Soda Machine, And Coffee In The Lobby

Image credits: underthund3r