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People Share The Most Terrifying Theories They've Ever Heard

People Divulge Which Scientific Experiment They'd Want To See Results For If It Weren't Unethical

People Divulge Which Scientific Experiment They'd Want To See Results For If It Weren't Unethical
Photo by Steven Lelham on Unsplash

We're only human.

It's not healthy to deny ourselves the thought experiments or thinking trails which creep into our brains. It might feel icky in the moment to imagine something horrible happening to someone, somewhere, but don't run away from it. Explore it, work through it, because it's the only way to assess what sort of human you are. Ultimately, so long as you never act on these dark impulses and darker analyses, it's all fine.

Still, the mind will wander.

Reddit user, numbnesstolife, wanted to know what you would want to know the answer to when they asked:

"What’s a scientific experiment you’d be fascinated to see the results of, but could never be conducted due ethical concerns?"

Pushing the human body to its absolute limit is something we think we already do. However, some of these experiments prove we're not really taking anything to any limit.

Let's Start Off Strong: Drowning Humans

"Dr Curt Richter conducted an experiment with rats that essentially concluded that the presence of hope could prolong the ability to stay alive when faced with life-threatening circumstances."

"During the first part of the experiment, rats were put in a bucket of water. After about 15 minutes the rat would begin to drown. The scientist plucked the rat out of the bucket of water merely seconds before death."

"After a couple of days the scientist repeated this process. However, instead of drowning after 15 minutes of treading water, some of the rats survived for up to 2 and half days."

"The scientist concluded that the rats were able to continue swimming because they retained the HOPE of being rescued, as this is what they experienced during the first trial."

"It would be interesting to see how the concept of hope influences humans under similar circumstances."

Public_Bullfrog_382

We Want Our Athletes Like Our Video Games

"I'd like to know how how much of a human body could be replaced by cybernetics."

"I imagine we have/could make a good enough equivalent to quite a few organs but other organs I doubt could be replaced as easily"

"It would also be interesting to see the mental impact of having so much of your body replaced."

northraider123

"My brother and I have talked a lot about a special version of the Olympics where the competitors can use whatever and however many performance enhancing drugs they want just to push the absolute limits of what humans can do. We figure it probably wouldn’t pan out though, since most of the athletes would probably just push themselves to death."

NoLifeMax

Pretty Sure There's A Movie That Shows Why This Is A Bad Idea

"Raising babies in 1700's conditions, and not knowing any different until they're 18 when they're taken to the real world, and record the reaction and shock. I am so curious."

"Basically raise a small little village of people in 1700's houses, clothes, etc. In a very secluded area."

TheSolemnRaven

Take It Or Die

"Raise a child, giving them a substance like a sugar cube or salt water to ingest everyday. Tell them that without it they will die. One day just don’t give it to them or act like it doesn’t exist and you have no clue what they are talking about and see how they react."

MidgetBoi_

Are We All Just Giant Chickens?

"decapitate some one and perform an electroencephalography (EEG) on him to see if and if so how long the head lives on"

SternenVogel

Sure, yes, don't mess with the animals. Leave them out of it. They've done nothing to be brought into the silly and inappropriate affairs of humans.

But, what if...

Think Of The Flees

"See if we can persuade a group of wolves to raise a child."

ReadinII

"I remember hearing about a study where scientists tried to raise a baby chimp alongside a human baby to see if the monkey would act more like a human. They had to cut the study short because the human started acting too much like a monkey."

clcjvalk

Sure, Babies But Tell Me More About That Swole Gorilla​

  1. "Give a baby a proportioned weight vest all it’s life, increasing the weight as it gets older. When it’s 11, will it be able to jump as high as all the other kids because it’s body has adapted? If yes, when we take it off can It jump much higher?"
  2. "How strong can we get a gorilla by giving it a bench press set."

"I would not support either of these experiments for ethical reasons irl, but they would be cool."

scemscem

So Long As It's In Pasta

"Smash up all the animals in the world into a big meatball to see what happens"

Hal_Dahl

Even. Crocodiles.

"Selective breeding in weird animals, I love animals with all my heart and I really don’t like what some dogs have to go trough because of selective breeding, but if we could create a pug out of a wolf what kind of dinosaur looking animal could we create of… say, a Komodo dragon or a Secretary Bird. It’s awful but I can’t help but be curious. even crocodiles!"

StandardMinute1729

Who says these experiments have to be placed in the realm of reality?

...What WOULD Happen?

"I'm curious what happens if I isolate a person from, say, the color blue until the age of 10 and then put her in a room full of blue things."

HarmoniumSong

Again, Movies As Evidence!

"1.Creating different human species or resurrecting old ons like the Neanderthals. 2. Creating dragons for population control (mostly Yi Qi dinosaurs with fire breathing abilities) 3. A hive city based on Warhammer 40k universe for testing human perspective of society. 4. Jurassic Park lever f-cking park."

Intelligent_Map7500

Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey

"I've been reading a book that talks about space and mentions time as a concept linked to space. They were saying how variable space is depending on the area you're studying, like maths, physics, or philosophy, and how its definition is directly dependent on perception. So I was wondering if that's the same with time. I mean, we've all got the same perception of time as being linear, or Iat least I suppose so."

"So what if we deprive someone entirely of the concept of time and see how they perceive it in comparison to us? I mean, time is kind of a construct organized for simplicity, but which could be the alternatives? Maybe we even find a new and better way."

iMeltedOops

Why Start So Small?

"I'd create an exact clone of me as a baby and send him to be raised somewhere else, by people who are as different from my parents as I can find, then meet up with him once he's, say, 30, and see how differently we turned out in terms of personality"

WesleyPatterson

"For actual valuable scientific data, you would need to make at least 20 clones of the same baby."

Coc0tte

Just How Far Can We Take Pregnant Ladies?

"Any experiment that checks to see if a medicine is safe for pregnant ladies to consume... Would require trials of pregnant ladies consuming the medications before we knew the medications were completely safe."

"There are precious few Pregnancy Category A medicines."

"Most medications (like acetaminophen aka tylenol) given to pregnant women are under Category B, "Animal reproduction studies have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women."

lub-shh-dub

"Yup, pretty much any experiment on pregnant ladies/babies."

"Not in, like, a disturbing horror movie way, but the kind of stuff you're talking about. The effects of various medications, various levels of alcohol consumption, testing how much shellfish and coffee actually effect a fetus's wellbeing... etc."

"Basically just thoroughly testing all the stuff that doctors disagree on regarding pregnant women and babies, like whether one glass of wine every once in a while really is okay or if any alcohol consumption at all is enough to negatively effect the fetus. It'd be nice to have definitive answers to those sorts of things."

"I can't imagine any way in which doing such experiments would be anywhere close to ethical, however, so we'll probably never have those answers."

DumpstahKat

Not Able To See The Results Of The Experiments

"Isolate groups of humans, EG 100 random people in a enclosed climate, for 500 years and see what happens with cultures- do some end up industrializing? Do some never get past agriculture? And best part: is culture random, or would random people (with no culture) in a certain geographic area always have the same culture?"

lamatopian

Were There Be As Many Issues As There Are Now?

"It would be cool if we could somehow bring back different species of human that went extinct. Like Neanderthals, denisovans, etc. and see how they’d differ, if at all, from us if raised in a modern society. It’s been talked about, but likely will never happen due to ethical concerns."

jackiepoo0804

To reiterate, we would never condone any of these experiments.

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science

Things Left-Handed People Deal With That Right-Handed People Never Do

Reddit user johnnyportillo95 asked: 'What’s something left handed people have to deal with that right handed people wouldn’t even think about?'

Left-handed person holding a Sharpie
Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash

Many of us who are right-handed never even think about how the world is designed to cater to us.

It probably doesn't even cross your mind that 10% of the world's population is left-handed.

Because of this, there tends to be a stigma for being left-handed since society tends to associate the left with negative things.

For example, the phrase "two left feet" applies to those who are clumsy and therefore, incapable of dancing.

Curious to hear more about the challenges facing those with the other dominant hand, Redditor johnnyportillo95 asked:

"What’s something left-handed people have to deal with that right-handed people wouldn’t even think about?"

If only manufacturers appealed to an ambidextrous world.

Furniture Obstacle

"Those desks or couch chairs that have a small desk attached. They do make left handed/sided ones but they are few and far between."

– Prussian__Princess

"And they’re only on one side of the lecture hall, and it’s never a good seat. There is ONE front row, lefty desk in the entire room and it’s in the far corner, obscured by an ancient overhead projector."

– earwighoney

Everyday Objects For Everyday People

"as a left-handed person myself, one thing we often deal with is finding left-handed tools or equipment. many everyday objects, like scissors or can openers, are designed with right-handed people in mind, which can make certain tasks a bit more challenging for us lefties. we also have to adapt to a right-handed world when it comes to writing on whiteboards or using certain computer mice."

– J0rdan_24

Dangerous Tools

"The biggest risk is power tools. I taught myself to use all power tools right handed because of risks using them left handed."

"Trivial, I love dry boards but they are super hard to write on."

– diegojones4

It's hard to play when you're born with a physical disadvantage.

Sports Disadvantage

"Allright, Sports when you are young. Every demonstration from PE teachers are right handed. You cant just copy the movements they teach you you need to flip them and your tiny brain struggoes to process it. As well, 98% of the cheap sports equipment the school uses is right handed."

– AjCheeze

No Future In Softball

"I tried to bat right handed for so long in gym class growing up because the gym teacher never asked me what my dominant side was and the thought never occurred to me as a child to mention it! Needless to say I never became a softball star."

– Leftover-Cheese

Find A Glove That Fits

"In softball and baseball we need a specific glove for our right hand that's often impossible to find unless you own one, and we have to bat on the other side of the plate."

– BowlerSea1569

"I was one of two left-handers in a 4-team Little League in the 1980s. Nobody could pitch to me. I got a lot of "hit by pitch" walks out of it."

– Jef_Wheaton

These examples are understandably annoying.

Shocking Observation

"Having right handed people make comments whenever they see us write, like we’re some kind of alien."

– UsefulIdiot85

"'Woah! You're left-handed????'"

"I find myself noticing when someone is a lefty, and sometimes I comment on it, but I try not to. I'm primarily left-handed (im a right handed wroter but do everything else left), and every single time I go to eat with my family, someone says, "Oh hey, give SilverGladiolus22 the left hand spot, they're left-handed," and inevitably someone says, 'Wait, really?' Lol."

– SilverGladiolus22

Can't Admire The Mug

"We never get to look at the cute graphics on coffee mugs while we’re drinking from them."

– vanetti

"I just realized…I always thought the graphics were made so someone else could read them while you drink. Hmmm."

– Bubbly-Anteater7345

"I'm right-handed and I often wondered why the graphics were turned towards the drinker instead of out for others to see."

– Material-Imagination

The Writing On The Wall

"Writing on whiteboards is a nightmare. I have to float my hand, which tires out my arm quickly, and I can't see what I've already written to keep the line straight."

– darkjedi39

"Also as a teacher, it means I'm standing to the left of where I'm writing, so I'm blocking everything I write. I have to frequently finish writing, then step out of the way so people can see, instead of just being able to stand on the right side the whole time."

– dancingbanana123

Immeasurable

"Rulers."

"How the f'k is no one talking about rulers? It's from 30cm to 0 cm to me, or I have to twist my arms to know the measure I want to trace over it."

– fourangers

Just Can't Win

"EVERYTHING. The world has always been based around people being right handed. As a Chef, my knife skills SUCKED until I worked with a Left Handed Chef. Then it all made sense."

"Literally, everything we do must be observed, then flipped around in our heads, then executed. This is why Lefties die sooner, on average, than Righties."

"I had to learn how to be ambidextrous, just to complete basic tasks (sports, driving a manual, using scissors, etc). I am used to it now, and do many things right handed out of necessity, as wall as parents and teachers 'forcing' it upon me."

"But, at least we are not put to death anymore, simply for using the wrong hand (look it up, it happened)."

"Ole Righty, always keeping us down."

– igenus44

The world doesn't need another demographic to feel "othered" for being different.

But if you're right-handed and tend to make assumptions about left-handed people, you may want to observe the following.

Ronald Yeo, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Texas-Austin told CNN:

"We shouldn’t assume much about people’s personalities or health just because of the hand they write with."
"And we certainly shouldn’t worry about lefties’ chances of success: After all (as of 2015), five of our last seven U.S. presidents have been either left- or mixed-handed."

Word.

left handed

People Reveal Whether They Let Their Dog Sleep On Their Bed Or Not

Dog lying down on a bed
Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash

Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.

While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.

Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.

Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.

For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.

Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:

"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"

The Tiny Issue Of Water...

"Absolutely not."

"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649

Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...

"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."

"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."

"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."

"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep

The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...

"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."

"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3

Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen Giphy

What Do You Mean Allow?

"I have no choice."

"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412

"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show

Hug GIF by The BarkPost Giphy

Who Needs An Alarm Clock?

"I let my two cats sleep with me."

"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."

"And so do I."

"We've all developed a lil routine."

"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_

Whose Bed Is It Anyway?

"Yes."

"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."

"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor

"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."

"Would not come out."

"Got some food and some water in dishes."

"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."

"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."

"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."

"She was too busy eating."

"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."

"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."

"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."

"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."

"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."

"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."

"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."

"She would not go."

"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."

"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588

sleepy kitten GIF Giphy

Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...

"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."

"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."

"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle

Saying No Just Isn't An Option...

"'Let'."

"Lol."

"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren

Felines Only!

"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz

Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official Giphy

Is That My Hair On That Pillow?

"My dog is perfect."

"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."

"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."

"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester

It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.

Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...


pets

Old Wives' Tales People Still Believe For Some Reason

Close up of an owl tilting their head to side, looking bewildered
Photo by Josh Mills

The old wives' tales.

They are the stories of legend.

I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.

Where did they originate?

WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!

You don't hear about them as much anymore.

It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.

But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.

Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:

"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"

"Wait an hour to swim after eating."

What a crock!

So many summer hours wasted.

I want revenge for that one.

Say Nothing

Giphy

"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."

LonelyMail5115

"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."

I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA

Say Something

"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."

Severe_Airport1426

"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."

crappycurtains

"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."

AlbinoShavedGorilla

Body Temps

"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."

chriseo22

"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."

"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."

apocalypticradish

Arms Down

"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."

Fatmouse84

10 Years Actually

Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine Giphy

"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."

REDDIT

"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."

Gecko-911

I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.

This tale is haunting.

High/Low

Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & Grace Giphy

"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."

LeastFormal9366

"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."

IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI

The Cursed

"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."

"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."

SmoreOfBabylon

Stay In

"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."

"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."

worldbound0514

Dreams and Facts

"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."

"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."

mattshonestreddit

"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."

Darthdemented

Cracked

Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The Office Giphy

"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."

Choice-Grapefruit-44

"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."

MacyTmcterry

I love my knuckles.

Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.

old wives tales

People Who Wouldn't Quit Their Job If They Won The Lottery Explain What They Do

lottery tickets
Erik Mclean on Unsplash

A lot of workers daydream about some day winning the lottery and being able to say goodbye to their job.

Far too many workers are unhappy with their job duties, workplace dynamics or company culture.

But with a taste for luxuries like housing and food, they keep plugging away, year after year.

However not everyone feels that way about their job.

So what are these compelling careers?

Keep reading... Show less
work