It’s weird to think that interest can be put on a scale. Like, a continuum ranging from interesting to the minimal, tiny iota degree to the maximum, universal level of approval.

It’s even weirder that we have a dedicated online community that focuses on a very particular part of this continuum—the mild interest.

But you already know that. Probably. Whatever the case, there is no shortage of mildly interesting things to see and experience in the world, and the beauty of technology allows you to see it just one scroll away.

#1 My Friends Cat Got Shaved At The Vet And Now She Looks Like A Game Of Exquisite Corpse

Image credits: pbrinkworth

#2 Japanese Gum Comes With A Pad Of Paper To Wrap It Up And Throw It Away Later

Image credits: Ali_cicek2

#3 I Was Taking A Photo Of A Deer On A Trip And Another Deer Came Out And Smooched It

Image credits: Mongolium

By now, you probably know what Reddit is, let alone r/mildlyinteresting. It has over 22 million members and is ranked #23 on the entire platform. At least as of this listicle.

Even the subreddit’s description was fourth-wall breaking and kinda like “ah, screw it, it’s in the name.” That’s how universally recognized the subreddit has become.

#4 I Came Across A Blue Mushroom

Image credits: laobalaomadecai

#5 Two, Random, Yet Almost Identical, Boomers

Image credits: MoistKestrel

#6 A Reflection From My Friend’s Phone Created A Pink Floyd Album Cover On Her Hazard Button

Image credits: leafgirl420

It’s a bit hard to explain what mildly means in the context of interest. You’d think you’re either interested in something or you’re not. Sure, you can be on the fence about it, or you can be in a situation where you want to like something. And that makes loads of sense. This is where you start to think about how much of your time and energy you’d want to allocate to whatever you’re mildly interested in. But how much is mildly?

#7 My Heart Pills In A Shape Of A Heart

Image credits: kockastikotaci

#8 A Rabies Vaccines That Is Airdropped In The Woods For Raccoons To Eat

Image credits: Citii

#9 Fake Ids Confiscated In A College Town

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The concept of interest (not the financial thing) can be seen as a feeling of wanting to know or learn more about stuff. It can also be explained as a quality that attracts people for the same reason. This ultimately boils down to a joint definition that is used to describe an activity—one that draws people into taking part in it. Yeah, that doesn’t sound like anything that would by nature be scaled to a certain degree. It either is, or isn’t interesting.

#10 Perfectly Circular, Connecting Burnout In My Neighborhood

Image credits: SourCreamWater

#11 The Difference Between My Brother And I’s Tan

Image credits: YungTinkerbell

#12 Local Creamery Has Beef With Chase Bank

Image credits: tiger_qween

But weirdly enough, technology and the internet combined with human nature kinda explain that in and of itself: something is interesting enough to stop by while scrolling on the phone, but not necessarily interesting enough to click, comment on it, upvote or act in any other way. And because everyone has different likes and interests in life, it’s hence a different reaction for each person.

#13 My Boyfriends Beard Hair Grows In Like A Hurricane Pattern

Image credits: LessFish777

#14 My Local Hospital Has Examples Of When You May Need An Urgent Care vs. An Er

Image credits: Striken15

#15 Fanta In Italy Has No Dyes Or Artificial Flavors

Image credits: Opposite_Strategy_43

What is more certain is the idea of self-interest. Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith talked at length about the concept. The focal point of his definition of self-interest is that every person is by nature first and foremost concerned with himself. It is a certain kind of hard-wiring that we as individuals forming communities, societies and an entire race can’t but obey to.

#16 My Clothing Pegs Explode When Used

Image credits: Stuf404

#17 This Restaurant Named "Thai Food Near Me"

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#18 This Car Is Full Of Bumper Stickers That Say Bumper Sticker

Image credits: getyoutogabba

He goes on to say that self-interest is what motivated people to pursue goals. The first of which are basic bodily human needs, like eating and staying healthy. According to Smith, this should not be confused with wants and desires—sure, everyone wants a Ferrari, and it might be within someone’s self-interest to get one, but it’s not key to your survival, and that’s Smiths’ take on it.

#19 The Uneven Usage Of My Sons Colouring Pencils - With A Clear Favourite

Image credits: MKTurk1984

#20 My Apple Iic That Lived In The Attic For 35 Years Still Works!

Image credits: Jujutsujoe

#21 This Burger King Still Use Their Furnitures From The 80s

Image credits: lostredditorlurking

But you can’t really ignore wants and desires, right? Sure, there is the idea that putting yourself through some suffering builds character. But if it’s taken to an extreme, it can be destructive, causing distress, anxiety, and it won’t solve the problem. Instead, it has to be a balancing act, and allowing yourself to have interests and hobbies, even to a mild degree, has a positive impact on you, i.e. less stress and better mood.

#22 This Instant Peanut Butter Machine At A Breakfast Buffet

Image credits: cwajgapls

#23 This T-Shirt Company Puts A Picture Of The Person Who Made It On The Tag

Image credits: bone-dry

#24 These Tampons Expire On January 8, 3000

Image credits: mishra1111

And this now circles around to self-interest again. Whether something is a mild interest or a deep one, it’s still good to have these positive experiences about things that you genuinely like. Being interested in things is not only good for us mentally, but it is a certain kind of reward—like picking up a phone, just for a little bit, after grinding through an hour or two of work.

#25 This Pepper I Grew Looks Just Like A Fruit Roll Up

Image credits: amerebrineshrimp

#26 My Skin Is Translucent

Image credits: KaleidoscopeWild9670

#27 How Sun-Bleached These Vhs Tapes Are. The Whole Display Was The Same

Image credits: HarryWWII

So, given all of this, how much is mildly in mildly interesting? Well, by the looks of things, it's a point between being motivated enough to stop scrolling to see what's up, but not enough to stop us from scrolling on and likely forgetting about it.

So, yeah… food for thought! Thank you, that was my TedTalk.

#28 Saharan Sand On My Car In The Middle Of The UK

Image credits: zobby3

#29 My Friend’s Dog Has Megaesophagus So They Feed Him Upright In A Special Chair

Image credits: petal713

#30 One Of My Patients Asked For A Rollings Stones Logo On Their Crown So We Painted This For Them

Image credits: _weirdalshankabitch_

If you’re interested to see more mildly interesting things, Bored Panda has talked about this at length on numerous occasions. Or you can also check out the community itself.

Whatever the case, the internet is your oyster, and we personally recommend leaving this pearl of a website a comment, maybe give an upvote and share your thoughts about anything or everything you’ve read here today!

#31 I Opened A Bottle Of Beer And The Glass Sheered Off Perfectly Into The Cap

Image credits: Adam-West

#32 This Billboard Has A Dyson Hairdryer Jerry-Rigged To Spread The Scent Of Freshly Baked Bread

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#33 My Partner And I Saw The Same Movie On The Same Day 3 Different Times Years Before We Met

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#34 My Dog Always Eats Exactly One Half Of Her Plate At A Time

Image credits: Tricky_Scallion_4406

#35 My Local Gas Station Has To Put A Sign In The Milk Section Cause People Open The Milk To Put It In Their Coffee, Then Put It Back

Image credits: AlejandroSosa__

#36 This Bar Has A Ice Strip To Keep Drinks Cold

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#37 Title Of The Book Is Misspelled On The Cover But Not The Spine

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#38 Japan Has Started Selling Caffeinated “Gaming” Ramen And Curry

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#39 My Paprika Is Two Different Colors

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#40 This Park Bench With Two Backs

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#41 The Gap Sent Me A Check For $0.01 With With No Explanation

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#42 Bank Gave Me Three Iterations Of The $100 Bill In A $1,100 Transaction

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#43 My Lyft Driver In Seoul Using A Magnifying Glass To See Directions On His Phone

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#44 Entire Akira Collection Left Out For Rubbish Collection

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#45 They Have Baguette Vending Machines In France

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#46 My Doctors Office Asked Me About God On A Satisfaction Questionnaire

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#47 My Cat Had To Have All Of His Teeth Removed

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#48 My Parent Use A Second Hand Professional Toaster Oven In Their Home

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#49 The Print On My Daughter’s Crib Sheet Doesn’t Show On Her Monitor

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#50 My Socks Turn Half Red Under One Of The Stage Lights

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#51 My Son's Name Is Peeling Off His Dinosaur Water Bottle And Now It Says Roar

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#52 Pov You’re Short In The Netherlands And Can’t See In The Mirror

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#53 My Flesh-Eating Spider Bite Turned Into A Heart-Shaped Scar

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#54 This Pack Of Flash Cards Came With 31 Instruction Cards And One Flash Card

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#55 A Hotel Where The Rooms Have Location Names Rather Than Numbers

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#56 The Price Tag On This Baby Clothing At Target Is $0.00

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#57 Found An Unopened Orbitz Drink At Goodwill!

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#58 My Eraser Turned My Calculator’s Plastic To Goop After Leaving Them Together In My Pencil Case Over Summer

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#59 Out Of 40 "Empty" Tubes Of Lipbalm I Recovered 18 Full Tubes

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#60 This Men's Restroom Offers Free Tampons And Pads

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#61 My Local Coffee Shop Has Plaques On Each Table Forbidding Schoolwork

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#62 I'm Currently Working In A Seaside Hospital Where The Salty Air Causes Everything To Rust. The Rust From The Fans Spray On The Walls!

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#63 These Cooked Shrimp I Bought Are Glowing Blue In The Dark

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#64 Generic Frosted Flakes Are Called Frosted Flakes

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#65 A 'No' Sign With No Context

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#66 My Carrot Caught Fire In The Microwave

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#67 The Packaging Of This Pair Of Left-Handed Scissors Was Designed By A Right-Handed Person

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#68 The Inside Of My Banana Looks Weird

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#69 Everytime I Make Clear Ice I Get One Tower Cube

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#70 Bikers Had Blue Tape Across Their License Plates

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#71 I Have Fake Wasp Nest And Real Wasps Started To Build On It

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#72 The Hotel I’m Staying In Has A Dvd Player And A Collection Of Dvds You Can Watch

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#73 These Emmys I Found At A Friend's Apartment

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#74 Target Designated Half Their Fitting Rooms Into Prayer Rooms

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#75 This Giant Cucumber We Grew

Image credits: Acceptable-Handle650