The internet is awash with content designed to provoke a harsh reaction. Whether it’s spite for celebrities and their drama, anger from sensationalist reporting, or one of the latest cringe compilations, consuming all this can leave you with a bad taste in the mouth.

That’s why we’ve decided to help you with a little palate cleanser. It’s time to put on your slippers, grab a glass of room-temperature tap water and make yourself comfortable. When you’re ready, enjoy a few of Bored Panda’s latest entrées of ‘Mildly Interesting’ morsels.

The name of the Reddit page that collects these photos is a bit of a misnomer. Although /r/MildlyInteresting doesn’t post jaw-dropping content, there’s always something fascinating and it injects a little wonder into the everyday. We love the page here at Bored Panda, that’s why we’ve written on it once, twice, thrice and uh… four times before. So, be sure to check them out after this one!

#1 My Hotel Phone In Iceland Has A Special Button That Will Wake You Up If There Are Northern Lights In The Sky

Image credits: KristjanHrannar

/r/MildlyInteresting has captured the intrigue of over 19M people, so it goes to show that the content is more than just a little bit interesting.

Bored Panda spoke with one of the moderators, RedSquaree, on the continuing success of the page. They said, “I think we’ve done an amazing job of curating a subreddit that is still niche despite being hugely popular.”

“The content is roughly the same today as it was almost a decade ago. Most subs change, for the worse, as they grow but we’ve kept things mild—the way people want it,” they explained.

#2 My Dining Room Table Houses A Secret Spiral Staircase

Image credits: CharmingtheCobra

#3 My Apartment Complex Rented Out 200 Goats To Eat Away At The Overgrown Path And Riverbed Behind Our Buildings!

Image credits: clairvoyantweed

#4 When I Went To Switzerland And Happened To Look Exactly Like This Random Wood Statue

Image credits: Blueskyblonde

#5 Missing Cat Owner Posted A Follow Up Where The Previous Missing Posters Were

Image credits: Coffygrier

#6 I Gave My Wife LEGO Flowers For Her Birthday

Image credits: CapnFancyPants

It’s hard to define what makes something ‘mildly interesting’ but in my opinion, there’s a certain theme running throughout. The images shared usually go against the grain of what we consider as “normal”. Or, they highlight some bizarre coincidence that we would never have expected.

However, everyone sees it differently. Since RedSquaree has been moderating the page for some time, I asked for their views on the secret formula behind the photos posted and how they would define them. They said, “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 this can also make it difficult to moderate the content being posted on the page. They explained further, “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’.”

#7 This Incredibly Detailed Picture I Took Of A Bonfire

Image credits: awake69

#8 My Butter This Morning Looks Like A Happy Naked Man

Image credits: kaatastrof

#9 How Well Our Movers Tetris’d Our Stuff

Image credits: Chrenen

So, should the content be strictly regulated before posting? RedSquaree doesn’t think so, at least for now. They said, “Many people have recommended we make a Rule 7, so content must be mild or it gets removed. But it would be so problematic to enforce that we haven’t gone that far… yet.”

They also told us about their personal favorites handpicked by the moderator team. RedSquaree said, “We have a ‘Quality Post’ link flair which we use (sparingly) to tag on submissions we find particularly mildly interesting. Everything we’ve marked ‘Quality Post’ can be considered officially mildly interesting.”

#10 Miniature Traffic Playground In Copenhagen Where Kids Learn To Bike In Traffic

Image credits: ledigtbrugernavn3

#11 I Came In My Kitchen To Find A Lizard Using A Sponge As A Raft In The Sink. (I Live In New Mexico)

Image credits: bassmansrc

#12 I Was Trying To Take A Picture Of The Guy In The Costume And A Person With With Opposite Colors Walked Into The Frame

Image credits: plsbabylemonade

When we’re so accustomed to seeing something in one way, our thoughts are suddenly shaken up when it suddenly appears differently or juxtaposed with something else. It’s a great reminder to rethink what we know and open ourselves up to new possibilities. But there’s a reason why we build these cognitive biases in our minds. 

#13 This Ornamental Hand At My Local IKEA With The Middle Finger Ziptied Down

Image credits: OranguPanda

#14 Found An Arrowhead In A Dried Up Stream!

Image credits: awkwardlytallguy

#15 The Gap In My Bedroom Window Became A Pinhole Camera

Image credits: scarebulging

A research paper called the Theory of Cognitive Pattern Recognition seeks to find out how and why we build these links in our minds. The paper defines pattern recognition as “a process of inputting stimulating (pattern) information and matching it with the information in long-term memory, then recognizing the category that the stimulation belongs to. Therefore, pattern recognition depends on people’s knowledge and experience.”

#16 There Was A Massive Pirate Ship Driving Around My Neighborhood

Image credits: ceqwz

#17 A Supplier Of Ours Now Fills His Packages With Air-Cushions Made Out Of Paper Instad Of Plastic

Image credits: zusakipcg

#18 Color Coordinated Wristbands For Back To Work Post Covid

Image credits: CooterMcSlappin

#19 The Banisters At My Hotel Were Held Up By Little Metal Men

Image credits: delicatedead

#20 My Local Library Has Cake Pans Available To Check Out!

Image credits: Museumgirl82

#21 A Cast Iron Cauldron I Found Buried In My Forest

Image credits: BoosterSqueak

#22 Found An E Than Survived The Recycling Process On The Cardboard We Use At Work

Image credits: GodNasua

#23 Before It Was Sprouted, This Tree Went To The Moon

Image credits: bigmalakili

#24 Townhouse In Dc Has A Cute Little Model Townhouse In Its Front Yard (And The Model Has Its Own Model!)

Image credits: tomveiltomveil

#25 My Wife And I Had Plane Snacks That Matched Our Books On Our Way To Our Honeymoon

Image credits: SodaBoda1

#26 This Group We Came Across In A Forest Casually Hiking In Medieval Outfits

Image credits: ksanyee

#27 Last Night My Wife’s Uber Had A Duck In It

Image credits: purplepotables

#28 The Crack In The Door Splits My Grow Light Into Different Colors

Image credits: babygirl-des

#29 My Cat Fell Asleep Looking Like He’s Standing Up

Image credits: fofizzleshizzle

#30 60 Doses Of Pfizer Vaccine Ready To Go

Image credits: JimmyJibbly1999

#31 My Fiancé Capped The End Of A Cut Banana With Banana Skin

Image credits: TimpaniSymphony

#32 My Peas & Lentils Look Like An Ishihara Test

Image credits: betterwatchnow

#33 Bought 2 Different Sizes Of Shoes, But The Boxes Align Perfectly With One Another

Image credits: Greenveins

#34 This Shopping Cart Has A Spot For Kids To Stand On While The Parent Pushes

Image credits: zOneNzOnly

#35 Saw A Knight In The Park The Other Day

Image credits: SharpShotEFX

#36 The Way My Wife Eats Cheetos Without Messing Up Her Mouse

Image credits: PCMRbannedme

#37 The Inside Of My Inflatable Air Mattress

Image credits: -who_knows-

#38 One Of Our Local Libraries Moved Into An Old Marsh Supermarket

Image credits: blt08

#39 This Is A Truck Carrying The Signs You See On The Interstate

Image credits: person7849

#40 This Jeep’s Break Lights Are Jeeps

Image credits: hannahtaylor_

#41 Lowercase Stopsign

Image credits: KungFuPandasDad

#42 The Tailgate Of This Truck Is Painted To Look Like There’s A Bulldog In The Bed Of The Truck

Image credits: Vintage_AppleG4

#43 A Century Old Suit

Image credits: NucklestheEnchilada_

#44 The Hallway To My Dentist Office Looks Like A Stanley Kubrick Scene

Image credits: Calmblue1968

#45 A 130 Year Old Crypt Found While Renovating A Church In Sc, They Put A Glass Window On It So You Could See The Face

Image credits: Dullahen

#46 Took A Picture Of My Cousin At Their Wedding Table And It Caught The Grooms Nose

Image credits: Jarteast

#47 My Mom Still Has Napkins From The Original Space Jam

Image credits: DragonBlad3z

#48 There’s A Patch On My Leg That Doesn’t Get Goosebumps

Image credits: mcrfreak78

#49 The Door Into My Work Casts A Solid Rainbow For A Few Minutes In The Mornings

Image credits: NickLoss_

#50 This Egg Has No Yolk

Image credits: TotapoPrincess

#51 This Pressure Washer Looks Like Mike Wazowski

Image credits: flxxnn

#52 Fully Oxidized Copper Pipe Next To A Non Oxidized Copper Pipe

Image credits: styrmirw

#53 Little Delivery Robots In The Wild

Image credits: FluffyKittens12

#54 My Grandma Made Her Shopping Bag Out Of Plastic Bags

Image credits: Icantthinkofaname678

#55 My Chocolate Bun Looks Like A Tardigrade

Image credits: cookie-fleck

#56 My Coffee Looks Like Jupiter

Image credits: WhenGinMaySteer

#57 Just Found An Old Roll Of Biodegradable Poop Bags, They Really Do Disintegrate Like Advertised

Image credits: terencebogards

#58 My Pen Ran Out Of Ink On The Last Page Of This Notepad

Image credits: HosWoodWorks

#59 My Toothpaste Made This Perfect Swirl

Image credits: bobinon

#60 Curious George Getting High In A Children’s Book That I Have

Image credits: iknownuting

#61 These Batteries Are Flavored So Kids Won’t Eat Them

Image credits: Snackbot4000

#62 My -14.75 Prescription Glasses

Image credits: Sunny16Rule

#63 I Got A Mosquito Bite Next To A Tattoo And It Made The Letters Swell Up Into 3D

Image credits: tlaquepaque0

#64 This Flat Fire Extinguisher I Found

Image credits: anagitatedarsonist

#65 These Straws Made Out Of Pasta So They Don’t Dissolve Like Paper

Image credits: mazi710

#66 Saw Our Pilot Dangling Out The Window To Clean The Windshield

Image credits: blahblah984

#67 The Air Filter I Just Took Out Of My Lawnmower vs. The One I Replaced It With

Image credits: CourteousEnd785

#68 A Plane Crash I Hiked To In North Carolina

Image credits: L3N1B

#69 My Job Has A Pair Of Pallet Jacks That Remind Me Of Cosmo And Wanda

Image credits: TLPRoyalPayn

#70 This License Plate With All B’s And 8’s

Image credits: Inconspicuousperson

#71 This Grave Stone I Found In The Woods

Image credits: SirSulo

#72 My Hotel Used To Be A Prison

Image credits: Savings-Spirit-3702

#73 I Grabbed An Onion That Was Jammed In The Dicer

Image credits: PsychoBrains

#74 Lemon Slices Float, But Lime Slices Don’t

Image credits: Hugo0o0

#75 Two 666 License Plate In A Row

Image credits: irizzle24

#76 Injuries At My Local Amazon Warehouse

Image credits: JurpleNurple

#77 At The Gas Pump Someone Wrote Which Button Silences Ads Being Shown

Image credits: JCastNC

#78 My Roommate Cleaned Some Old Pool Balls And They Came Out Looking Like Jawbreakers

Image credits: breadlover19

#79 My Flight Today Has A Dead Person Aboard

Image credits: IncelDetectingRobot

#80 My Gym’s Vending Machine Organizes Water Based On It’s Temperature

Image credits: memesandkarma

#81 Wear-And-Tear On Playground Monkeybars Decreases As The Distance Increases

Image credits: ReinaSparks

#82 This Gamestop Next To This Smashburger Really Highlight The Similarities Between Both Of Their Logos

Image credits: jfhdot

#83 My Wineglass Broke In The Shape Of Australia

Image credits: danj_Mo

#84 This Screwdriver That Has Been Worn Down From Years Of Scraping Grip Tape At A Skate Shop

Image credits: ProdigyLightshow

#85 30 Years Ago, My Grandfather Encased This Meatball In Epoxy

Image credits: throbbing_banjo

#86 I Stumbled Across This Car That’s Painted Half Black And Half White

Image credits: AndrewDSo

#87 This McDonald’s Sign Is Missing The “M” Arch

Image credits: depivet412

#88 Some Of The Word Choices For This Puzzle

Image credits: Juicyjccccc

#89 I Accidentally Dressed Like The Chair At My Dentist Appointment Today

Image credits: three-cats605

Source: boredpanda.com