woman uncomfortable
Sarah Biren
Sarah Biren
December 12, 2023 ·  4 min read

We Asked People To Send Facts That Made Them Uncomfortable And Now They Won’t Stop

Word of advice: Don’t ask a question if you aren’t ready for the answer. On their Facebook page, IFL Science asked their followers to send them their most uncomfortable facts, saying, “What’s a face that makes you uncomfortable? We’ll start: Your bones are wet.” 

Their followers delivered, filling the comments section with the most awkward and skin-crawling ideas. In the follow-up post, James Felton of IFL Science wrote, “It was a bad idea, and we regret it. Basically, the facts keep on coming in, and they won’t stop, and they do indeed deliver on the brief of making you feel uncomfortable.” 

Warning; these facts are not for the faint of heart. Once learned, they cannot be unlearned. 

15 Uncomfortable Facts That Will Make You Cringe  

1. You can grow hair and teeth inside a tumor called ‘teratoma’.” – Javo Vargas 

Additionally, teratomas can occur anywhere in the body, but they are most common in the tailbone, ovaries, and testicles. Fortunately, they are pretty rare, but yes, they could contain hair and teeth. [1] 

2. Alexander the Great’s body was said to not decay for days after he died. Since this is impossible, historians believe that he was in a coma, possibly even aware, for days. He probably died of dehydration while his subordinates argued over his crown. – Hilary Aberle. 

Moreover, many people suspect Guillain-Barré syndrome killed him; it’s a rare neurological condition that causes the immune system to attack its own body. Therefore, Alexander the Great could have been in a deep coma before he actually died. However, others believe he was poisoned. [2] 

3. We are made up of tiny living organisms that work together to make you YOU. – James Thomas 

Read: Parts Of The Amazon Rainforest Being Sold Illegally On Social Media

Uncomfortable fact about baby surgeries

4. Up until the 80s, some surgeries done on babies were conducted without anesthesia because of the belief that babies don’t feel pain.” – Adriel Sebastian 

Later on, studies using MRI scanners found that not only do babies feel pain like adults, but they have a much lower pain threshold. It’s insane how long it took to discover this, partly because babies can’t communicate if they are in pain or not. [3] 

5. You’ve never actually seen your own face, only a reflection or a picture. – Krystal Thompson 

Most people don’t think about this uncomfortable fact, but now they won’t ever forget it. 

6. That I can be in a head on collision at any moment. The only thing that keeps it from happening is a silent, mutual agreement with the driver of the oncoming car.” – Stacey Ebljen Dee 

7. That some people don’t have inner monologues. – Geoff Roach 

8. There’s a moment during the cremation process when the meat is perfectly cooked.” – Donna Claire 

“Bite up on this”

9. Your jaw isn’t designed to bite down. Instead, you bite up. It’s technically incorrect to say ‘bite down on this‘.” – Brittany Schroeder 

10. There’s a relatively big blind spot in your eye (where the nerve “wire” ends from the other side of your retina), that your brain just fills in with what it think it sees. – Martin Koťátko 

11. “Our eyeballs are covered in skin. Skin cells called corneal epithelium, they’re just clear cells. – Elsa Stuart 

The corneal epithelium is essential for vision. It’s nicknamed “our window on the world.” [4] 

Maybe sit down for this…

12. “Then, think of your knees. Nothing actually touches. All of you is dependent on a thin film of synovial fluid. Better sit down, eh?” – Thomas Hodgson 

13. “Your tongue already knows the texture and feel (not the taste) of everything you look at without putting your tongue on it. Go ahead…look around.” – Kerri Ann 

14. “Your stomach acid would burn your skin if it ever came into contact with it.” – Glitch Lokison 

Hydrochloric acid comprises most of the acid in the human stomach, but a protective layer of mucus keeps the actual organ safe. Keep in mind, hydrochloric acid is in toilet cleaners, pool chemicals, and fertilizers that could cause burns and scarring. [5] 

15. “Every year you celebrate your birthday knowing it was the day you were born, but every year you pass your death day and have no idea.” – Logan Patrick MacDonald 

Reflect on that uncomfortable fact while you try to fall asleep tonight.  

Keep Reading: ‘Space hurricane’ that rained electrons observed for the first time

Sources

  1. “What Is a Teratoma?” Healthline. Marjorie Hecht. September 14, 2018 
  2. “Why Alexander the Great May Have Been Declared Dead Prematurely (It’s Pretty Gruesome)”. Live Science. Owen Jarus. February 4, 2019 
  3. “Babies feel pain ‘like adults’: Most babies not given pain meds for surgery.” Science Daily. University of Oxford. April 21, 2015 
  4. “Stem cells and corneal epithelial maintenance – insights from the mouse and other animal models.” Results Probl Cell Differ. Richard L. Mort. September 1, 2013 
  5. “Treating a Hydrochloric Acid Reaction on Your Skin.” Healthline. Daniel Yetman. April 21, 2020 
  6. “We Asked People To Send Facts That Made Them Uncomfortable And Now They Won’t Stop.” IFL Science. James Felton. March 9, 2021 
  7. IFL Science. Facebook. February 19, 2021