There’s nothing better than an adorable photo of a kitten curled up sleeping or a picture of a precious puppy getting a bath. But we’ve all seen plenty of these cute pics before, so if you’re in the mood to spice things up and view photos that might make you feel ambivalent, you’ve come to the right place.
Below, you’ll find some of our favorite photos from the Awwwtf subreddit, which is dedicated to sharing content that might make you say “awww” and disturb you all at once. Enjoy scrolling through this adorable and confusing list, and be sure to upvote the pics that leave you feeling all sorts of conflicting emotions!
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#1 Octopus Fell In Love With Teddy
Image credits: deeruser
#2 Friends Dog Got Skunked And She Tried To Use Tomato Sauce To Get It Out. He Looks Like He Just Committed Murder And Got Caught
Image credits: wolfinsheeps
#3 Kitty vs. Bee
Image credits: purple-circle
The Awwwtf subreddit is the perfect place to go if you want to feel mixed emotions. You’ll find adorable photos and videos of animals that leave you slightly disturbed in the end and photos of things you find precious but would be terrified of in real life. According to the group’s About Community, it’s simply “a subreddit that makes you say, ‘Aww! Ooh? What the [heck]?!’ Then aww again.”
There’s no question that us users of the internet love adorable, wholesome content, and we also can’t seem to get enough of disturbing, disgusting and unsettling content. So why not mix them together for a subreddit that has the best of both worlds? At first glance, it may sound strange to combine things that freak you out and things you find precious. But when we think about how we typically respond to adorable photos and animals, the combination might make a little bit more sense.
#4 Lizard Shedding
Image credits: commonorangefox
#5 I Am Here!
Image credits: Dominiksbtr
#6 A Girl And Her Snek Watching TV
Image credits: howardkinsd
Have you ever had the urge to squeeze your puppy way harder than you know you should or gritted your teeth painfully hard when cuddling with your partner? You may have experienced “cuteness aggression,” something else that may seem confusing at first glance. If something is adorable, the last thing you would want is to hurt it. So why do we have these opposing impulses when confronted with a cuteness overload?
This phenomenon, first described by Yale researchers in 2015, seems to come from our desire to prevent ourselves from being overwhelmed by cute things. When our brains just can’t handle the preciousness of a soft, cuddly puppy or a warm kitten sleeping in our laps, we might want to resort to aggression (although we know we have no intention of actually harming the adorable creatures).
#7 I See All Of Your Cute Baby Animals. Now Check Out This Baby Wombat
Image credits: reddit.com
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#8 Dog Actors
Image credits: joaoperfig
#9 Hairless Horse
Image credits: spicymilkshake
When it comes to what causes the most cuteness aggression, baby animals are at the top of the list, Forbes reports. But the interesting thing about groups like Awwwtf is that the “what the [heck]” aspect of the images seems to cut down on the cuteness overload. These pics are adorable, but they might also be strange, hilarious or slightly terrifying. This combination might be just enough to prevent cuteness aggression, although it depends on your preferences, of course. If you find a photo of a baby wombat to be the cutest thing you’ve ever seen in your life, you might want to pinch its little cheeks. But both Awwwtf and cuteness aggression are beautiful reminders of how complex and confusing our feelings can be as humans. Do I want to kiss it or run from it or squeeze it? I can’t decide!
#10 ? We’re On The Road To Nowhere…?
Image credits: imgur.com
#11 Come Here I Need To Kiss You!
Image credits: Kyizen
#12 Was Told To Post This Here
Image credits: reddit.com
In the Awwwtf subreddit, there are a few “flairs” that members can tag their posts with, one of which being “Vomit.” This leads me to believe that vomit content is common in the group (although I’m too scared to click on the flair, as I’m emetophobic myself). And while it’s easy to understand why we love adorable photos and videos being shared online, why do we also have a tendency to click on gross things? If you’re a fan of zit-popping videos, I’m looking at you! According to Alexander J. Skolnick, PhD, an assistant psychology professor at Saint Joseph’s University, the fear often associated with gross things can actually increase our interest in them.
#13 Not Quite What I Imagined Baby Kangaroos Would Look Like
Image credits: Phoenix7Fawkes
#14 Always Remember The Possums Are Hardly Ever Rabid And Also Good For The Environment
Image credits: ktewoj
#15 A Walrus Asleep On A Russian Submarine [x-Post From /R/Wtf]
Image credits: howardkinsd
“Sometimes we’re disgusted when we see someone with red rashes or welts,” Skolnick told Shape. “We don’t want to stand next to them. That disgust keeps us safe from contagious elements.” But at the same time, many of us love roller coasters and horror movies because the fear they create can be exciting, and gross content can give us a very similar rush. We can see a disgusting injury or frightening illness through a controlled environment from a safe distance, through a screen, without putting ourselves in any actual danger.
#16 Tank Had To Have Part Of His Snoot Removed But He’s Still A Good Boy
Image credits: AptMage
#17 Our Family Cat Squeak, Around 11 Years Old. Went Blind Around 6. Longest Whiskers In The West
Image credits: babybuddha666
#18 Baby Bat Hugging A Stuffed Rabbit
Image credits: BethcepourLavhy
Skolnick also says it’s perfectly natural for humans to be curious about things we don’t know much about or don’t understand. “We want to know what’s gross out there, what’s awful out there,” he told Shape. He provided the example of fetishes that are out of the ordinary as well. “You don’t want to watch the sexual acts, you just want to know what’s out there,” he explained. And don’t worry about younger generations or people today being depraved because we’re curious about bizarre topics that disturb or disgust us. Psychology professor Clark McCauley, PhD, told Shape that people have wondered about all of these things long before we were around; we just have more access to information now than ever before.
#19 These Knees Though
#20 Aww Look At Their Little, Creepy Faces
Image credits: imgur.com
#21 This Pygmy Hippo Calf That Was Just Born At My Local Zoo
Image credits: hnirobert
While we can’t help but find certain animals adorable, even if we know they could rip us apart before we even have the chance to introduce ourselves, the photos on this list got me wondering about some of the deadliest yet still cute creatures the world has to offer. Thankfully, BestLife has a list of some of these animals for us to consult, starting off with the beloved, bright yellow pufferfish. These fish may look innocent, but apparently, they’re incredibly toxic. If you’re thinking about having a pufferfish for dinner, don’t forget that they’re 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. Bon appétit!
#22 Awwww, He’s So Fluffy!
Image credits: CaptureTheNature
#23 Oh How Cute. Wait. Whathefak
Image credits: Sir_Nicholas_4
#24 Just A Tiger Cub, How Dangerous Could They Be?
Image credits: dariusdetiger
Polar bears are another famous animal that look adorable from afar but would be terrifying to encounter in real life. According to Ed Zebedee, director of the Government of Nunavut’s protective services branch, “Polar bears are the only animal that will definitely stalk a human and eat them.” Thankfully, most of us don’t live anywhere near them, but if you ever encounter one for some reason… Good luck!
Raccoons are another animal that the internet loves for their adorable little faces and funny behavior. And while they’re not the most aggressive creatures in the world, they definitely pose a risk to humans due to the many diseases they can carry, such as rabies, mites, tularemia, leptospirosis, toxocariasis, and more. So if you see one, don’t be scared to take a pic, but don’t get close enough to give one a hug!
#25 These Wild Hares Look A Little Extra Wild
Image credits: DirkDieGurke
#26 Stillborn Kitten Preserved As A Wet Specimen In A Glass Globe On A Antique Steel Stand
Image credits: GallowBoob
#27 Titans Clash
Image credits: ChronicallySad
We hope you’re enjoying these cute yet confusing pics, pandas! Keep upvoting the ones you find particularly adorable or unsettling, and feel free to share your thoughts on them in the comments below! Then, if you’re interested in ingesting even more strangely disturbing photos, we recommend checking out this Bored Panda article next!
#28 Hi I’m A Fish
Image credits: howardkinsd
#29 Red Cornetfish
Image credits: siouxsie_siouxv2
#30 Mommy And Her Eggs
Image credits: user_3059
#31 Wrinkly Cat
Image credits: queenkatoe
#32 Furless Budgie
Image credits: ecky–ptang-zooboing
#33 My Phone’s Ai Thinks I’m Married To My Hamster
Image credits: kittyvanilla
#34 Two-Headed Chimera Devouring Live Bugs
#35 Hedgehog Getting An X-Ray
Image credits: 150c_vapour
#36 Scorpion Carrying Babies On Her Back
Image credits: howardkinsd
#37 The Purple Frog, Discovered By Scientists In 2003
Image credits: Apostjustforthis
#38 Who’s A Good Kitty
Image credits: siouxsie_siouxv2
Source: boredpanda.com