People Whose Parents Ruined Their Shot at Being Rich

You never know when something you collected as a youngster is going to make a comeback or – even better – become a collector’s item worth big bucks.

If you ever realized that you might have a bunch of crap in your old bedroom that could suddenly net you some cash, only to find out that your parents purged it, well…you know what it’s like to be in these 15 people’s shoes.

15. This is just awful.

“I found out my brother in law was using his grandfathers coin collection to buy energy drinks and cigarettes. They were a lot of mint silver dollars, assorted old coins he had been collecting for decades.

I found him basically taking the coins out of their display cases and tossing the plastic case so he could use them at face value. Grandfather at the time had dementia so no longer cared and I never found out how much money was lost.”

14. This is just a sad story all the way around.

“I remember when state quarters first came out, my father sent me a collection of every first edition state quarter and one time I went to show my friends awhile later and couldn’t find them, I asked my mother and she said she had to use them for laundry.

We were very poor at the time so I understand, but I was a little sad by it as well because it was one of the only things my father ever sent me.”

13. I have to assume he’s not lying.

“Nearly all of the first 24 editions of virtually every Marvel series, from The Fantastic Four to Spiderman (including the Amazing Tales in which he was introduced) to Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos. Basically all of them.

At a comic book store I was once looking at some collectors editions of those comics priced at about $1500 to $2400. I said to the clerk “Man, I used to have all of these.” The clerk, whom I’m sure was Matt Groening’s model for Comic Book Man, without even looking up said in a bored voice, “Do you know how many times a day I hear that?””

12. I wonder if she knows where they are…

“My brother had a bunch of first edition Pokémon cards, that he spent over a year collecting. Mom took them away for getting in trouble at school, and they were never seen again.”

11. None of this is remotely okay.

“Jeez, After my mom died, my dad met this crazy, Jahova’s witness bitch and one thing led to another. About a month before my highschool graduation we got into a HUGE fight over something and she burned my collection of old DnD books and magic cards.

Complete collections…

every 1st edition book in good condition signed by Gygax. Guess my brother knew him at some point.

The real kicker? I rode the wave of the original magic the gathering launches back in the day, complete sets of the original series through…homelands? All burnt to a crisp. Every once in a while when i want to be depressed about never being able to retire i look up the card values

Edit: For the Curious, this was almost 25 years ago, i dont even know if the crazy bitch was still alive honestly.”

10. Yes but they were packed away neatly for a reason!

“I had the complete collection of teenage mutant ninja turtles figures.. i packed them into a box and put them away then later when looking for them i couldn’t find them… asked my mother.. “oh those, i threw them out.. you weren’t playing with them anymore””

9. I have all the rage.

“I feel your pain. My parents were evangelical Christians and burned all of my first edition harry potter books and mine and my brother’s pokemon collection. The HP stuff for “witchcraft” reasons and he cards because the yin yang sign on them is “a doorway for demons”. Religion eh?”

8. Definitely still worth something.

“Lots of original Star Wars toys. They wouldn’t be NIB, definitely used but still…”

7. Some lucky buck found those and squealed.

“1st editions of The Chronicles of Narnia signed by C.S. Lewis”

6. Oh man, that must be driving him mad!

“I had an original burned CD of Drake’s first ever home recorded demo LP. Like.. burned by him and signed with a sharpie. He gave it to me when I was working as a security guard in his condo before he blew up and got famous. I still keep hoping I’ll find it in a box somewhere…”

5. How many garbage men are retiring on stuff our parents trashed?

“I had every single beyblade released in the US until I went to college and my mom ‘gave them away to a worthy cause’. Turns out she dumped them in the trash, the man who drives the garbage van told me about them and asked me if he could take them home for his kid. I agreed anyway.”

4. One person’s trash…

“About 40 Indian Arrow heads collected on my grandparents farm for years by myself and my grandfather and full sets of baseball cards from 1969-1980, my mom decided to toss out all that “junk” when I moved out for military.”

3. Someone is not ready to let this go.

“I had a huge collection of magic the gathering cards all in mint condition dating back all the way to alpha that I collected as a young kid. My psycho mom decided that I had too much stuff that I enjoyed and threw out my collection and a bunch of other stuff.

Some background is needed since there’s a lot of issues of clarity on this collection.

  1. I hung out with an autistic kid all the time as a kid and his dad owns a comic shop. So he would give me booster boxes at vendor cost and also give me tons of stuff as gifts for holidays and birthdays. He also knew how horrible my mom was, so he was always cool and teaching me stuff.

  2. All my friends use to order booster boxes through me and give me a few booster packs for helping, most of them have me their collections when they quit playing. I also learned from him how to take care of my stuff properly, which was something I enjoyed because my brother and sister broke my toys all the time and they ignored me when I had my cards or read books.

  3. I bought everything myself with money I made for myself at 5 years old. I would fix other kids bikes, mow lawns, shovel snow, do yard work, help old people with various things, etc.

  4. The moment I could have a real job I got it delivering papers by bike at 12 years old. Asking my parents for money was basically like asking to play a prank on myself that wasn’t funny. Right now I have a similar sensibility with money and trading favors with other professionals to get deals on stuff.

  5. I bought a new furnace and had it installed for a grand total of $2k because of a contractor friend of mine getting it for me, modifying it, and installing it himself because I designed all his business materials. He gives me deals like that all the time and helps me fix stuff because everything I did made his business blossom making him 3x what he normally did independently.

  6. That’s an example, I also have a tax friend and other various friends in various trade fields that I do this with. It pays to be socially open / open minded, caring, and diplomatic while having a good time.

  7. while quite possibly a $1 million collection, maybe slightly under, I am offsetting this by the comics she did the same thing to. Basically by the time I left home my mtg collection, comic collection, soccer gear, signed artwork, and various other things were thrown away. If you add it up it definitely goes well above the $2 million dollar mark

  8. 12 collections of mtg cards I was given were alpha-Arabian nights. Every collection afterwards given to me had cards from there in them but were usually after beta. Over 30 collections with a majority being friends that followed my cues on care. They all though sleeves, binders, and boxes looked way cooler than torn up cards.

  9. I post all the time in r/raisedbynarcissists but I never thought this many people would care about losing that kind of collection.

  10. I have no want to waste time suing my mom or the desire to deal with the drama, i prefer to have an excuse to not have her in my or my kids lives. I also don’t talk to her much or let her in my kids lives, I have her a chance with my first son and she failed miserably.

  11. She was racist to his autism therapist the only time I let her take him to his ABA center, which I smoothed over by meeting with them to explain her actions and words are not representative of me or my family.

  12. Her excuse was that things were “too easy” for me, so she tried to screw it up so I’d have to drive an hour away to the next best acceptable facility. She doesn’t care, she’s just that horrible type of parent that doesn’t want you to be better off than she was at any point in your life.

  13. my mom was way worse than just doing this, it wasn’t done for any reason other than she hated that I was a strong willed person that questioned everything when she wanted to control everything and everyone around her.

  14. So when I see people say she arbitrarily did it, she knew it would hurt/traumatize me and possibly give up and fall in line with being the nobody she wanted me to be.

  15. I feel for anyone who had similar experiences

  16. I don’t believe in revenge, I believe in karma

  17. I was not going to sell my entire collection in college, I was going to sell a few of the expensive cards I had that I had more than 5 copies of. I was planning to save the rest for when they were so expensive I’d feel bad touching them.

  18. my mom ruined a scholarship for studying abroad in high school where my room and board were paid for already and I would have a job tutoring English for extra money.

  19. She also spent my grandparents money that was set aside in my college account as my inheritance, got me injured playing soccer costing me to lose a full ride to a university that won national titles every year I would have attended, intentionally tried to sabotage me from being able to go to class in college, lied to family constantly causing them to harass me about stuff I knew nothing about, and many other things I don’t care to reminisce about.”

2. This is one forgiving brother!

“South African coin collection that my older sister threw away without consulting anyone.

Wow, it looks like this resonated with a lot people. Thanks for all your responses and for the silver from the kind person. Stay well Everyone.

To answer your questions: Thankfully, they were not kruger rands. My parents would have kept those safe. They were random old copper coins that had become rare because they were old. I was young and naive and had never thought to value them.

They may not have been worth that much at the time, but they were valuable to me for sentimental reasons. They may been worth a few hundred each by now. Who knows.

My sister was into different things at the time, so I don’t think she had any clue about coin collecting. It was very mean to throw out my stuff and I think she realised this later on, but I don’t resent her for it because we all make mistakes.”

1. Why would anyone do that?

“My mom had a collection of signed Beatles records that she threw away after she converted to Christianity because played backwards they summoned the devil or something. For years I was hoping to inherit it when I grew up.

All i think it summoned was poverty.”

This has never happened to me because I never really took care of my things. Womp-womp.

Do you have a story like this?

Please share it with us in the comments!

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Totally Serious Reasons That Toddlers Were Crying

I know there is some controversy on whether or not it’s okay to post all of the silly and hilarious reasons your little emotional teapot is crying today. It’s not nice, some say, to make fun of your kid on the internet before they are old enough to understand what that means or say it’s okay.

That said, there’s something to be said for parental solidarity, and being able to laugh with other people going through what you’re going through, and just for keeping your sanity amidst the sea of chaos that is living with kids under five.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

In the spirit of connection, not of meanness, I share with you these 17 truly baffling reasons kids are having meltdowns out there.

16. It’s those days you have to try very hard not to chuck grapes at a child.

“My 2.5-year-old asked for five grapes. When I accidentally brought six he had a meltdown, so I took one away. He then cried harder because I took one of his grapes.”

15. That is not feminist at all.

“My toddler had a gigantic tantrum because ants were only called ‘ants,’ and there weren’t any ‘uncles.’” 15. And that’s how we knew she was a parseltongue.

“My sister threw a tantrum because she couldn’t climb into the snake enclosure at the zoo. She said they looked lonely.” 

14. I mean honestly maybe there should have been.

“The 3-year-old I nanny had a tantrum because I didn’t pack his bathing suit…to go to his grandma’s funeral. I guess since we kept saying it was a ‘celebration of Grandma’ he thought that meant there would be a pool party.” 

13. She just has a lot of feelings, okay?

“I work in childcare, and today a toddler was crying hysterically in the corner. When I asked her what was wrong, she sobbed, ‘He took my ball…and then he gave it back!”

12. Is this sweet or crazy? You decide.

“My daughter bawled because she didn’t want me to get wet — I was taking a shower.” 

11. It’s an acquired skill.

“My nephew flipped because he couldn’t fake burp.” 

10. It is supposed to be a sign of good luck in some cultures.

“I’m a nanny of a 3-year-old who had a meltdown — I’m talking devastated crying — because his brother’s car window had bird poop on it and his didn’t.” 

9. I mean it’s probably not about the cup.

“My son had a nuclear meltdown because he wanted water in the green cup, and I gave him water in the green cup.”

8. Well onions are good at making us cry.

“I teach preschool and two of my 3-year-olds got into a HEATED argument because they thought only one of them could like onions. There was sobbing. Rage. Tears. All over onions.”

7. Get it right, lady!

“My 3-year-old asked for ‘water, ice,’ and lost his mind when I called it ‘ice water.’ You’d think the world was ending.” 

6. You need to get that girl some friends. Or some talking dolls.

“My daughter has a meltdown every time we play with her dolls because I can’t make four different voices at the same time. She screams and cries because there’s just one doll talking and not all four.” 

5. That is a long time to hold onto a wrong.

“For about a year my daughter sobbed every time we got our mail because the door to the building opened from the right and she wanted it to open from the left.” 

4. I don’t even know what that means but it kind of sounds legit.

“My 2-year-old threw a fit because she couldn’t put her shirt on like pants.” 

3. Let him murder your face, dangit!

“My 2-year-old had a meltdown because I wouldn’t let him put a pillow on my head and then jump on it.” 

2. A tiny stockpiler in the making.

“My 2-year-old brother throws a tantrum every day because he wants us to buy more bandages.”

1. Hey, his body, his choice.

“My toddler threw a fit at the doctor’s office because we had to measure his height. He’d done it before just fine, but this time it resulted in a full nuclear meltdown. It took three of us to get his height. The shots, though? Those were OK. He just quietly sat still and let them happen.”

My kids are still 3 and 17 months, so I’m guessing a lot of this craziness is still on its way to my house!

What’s your favorite (and by that I mean insane) reason your own kid melted down?

Share it with us in the comments!

The post Totally Serious Reasons That Toddlers Were Crying appeared first on UberFacts.

Knock-Knock Jokes Your Kids Are Going to Love

You might think knock-knock jokes are kind of childish and old-school, but hear me out – there are reasons that things stick around long enough to be called classics.

Kids love knock-knock jokes, I think because they’re simple and short, and who doesn’t need a fun way to make your child laugh now and then?

Photo Credit: Pixabay

No one, which is why you’ll want to stick these 20 legit knock-knock jokes in your back pocket!

And…these all begin with “Knock, knock…who’s there?”

Obviously.

20. Ice cream soda.

Ice cream soda who?
Ice scream soda people can hear me!

19. Leon.

Leon who?
Leon me when you’re not strong!

18. To.

To who?
No, it’s to whom!

17. Annie.

Annie who?
Annie thing you can do I can better!

Photo Credit: pxhere

16. Candice.

Candice who?
Candice joke get any worse?!

15. Lena.

Lena who?
Lena a little closer, and I’ll tell you another joke!

14. Anita.

Anita who?
Anita drink of water so please let me in!

13. Quiche.

Quiche who?
Can I have a hug and a quiche?

12. Alex.

Alex who?
Alex-plain when you open the door!

11. Wa.

Wa who?
What are you so excited about?!

Photo Credit: Unsplash,Ben White

10. Olive.

Olive who?
Olive next door. Hi neighbor!

9. I am.

I am who?
Don’t you even know who you are?!

8. Nun.

Nun who?
Nunya business!

7. A leaf.

A leaf who?
A leaf you alone if you leaf me alone. 

6. June.

June who?
June know how long I’ve been knocking out here?

Photo Credit: Unsplash,abdelkader ft

5. Hike.

Hike who?
I didn’t know you liked Japanese poetry!

4. Spell.

Spell who?
W-H-O!

3. A little old lady.

A little old lady who?
Wow, I didn’t know you could yodel!

2. Dejav.

Dejav who?
Knock, knock

Photo Credit: pxhere

1. Cargo.

Cargo who?
Cargo beep, beep and vroom, vroom!

I don’t want to admit this, but I’m definitely giggling.

Which ones are you going to share with your kids?

Do you have a great one that we’ve left out? Please share with us in the comments!

The post Knock-Knock Jokes Your Kids Are Going to Love appeared first on UberFacts.

Blood-Curdling Stories Told in Just Two Sentences

They’re out there…

Who are they? They’re the undead, the hounds of hell, ghouls, goblins and whatever lurks in the far, maddened, dark corners of our minds.

Here are 14 frightening tales of dread (thanks to The Occult Museum) that will bring all your demons–imagined and real–out into the light to say hello, what’s for dinner? Looks delicious.

And away we go…

1. Try Not to Panic.

Photo Credit: Reddit

2. Madness On the Loose.

Photo Credit: Reddit

3. Evil.

Photo Credit: Reddit

4. Which One Is the Monster?

Photo Credit: Reddit

5. Savage.

Photo Credit: Reddit

6. Who…Else…Is…There?

Photo Credit: Reddit

7. WHY?

Photo Credit: Reddit

8. Chills.

Photo Credit: Reddit

9. Horrifying.

Photo Credit: Reddit

10. No, Please, Please Stop.

Photo Credit: Reddit

11. A Descent Into Madness.

Photo Credit: Reddit

12. Pure Terror.

Photo Credit: Reddit

13. Cold, Dark Death.

Photo Credit: Reddit

14. Only Deep, Dark Depression Remain.

Photo Credit: Reddit

What kind of people can write like this and still sleep with the light off?

Still, we can’t get enough of these two line horror stories. They pack a (throat) punch in just a few terrifying words.

If you can scare the bejesus out of us like these did, drop them in the comments!

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People Share Their Favorite Horror Stories Where They Try To Scare You With Just Two Sentences

The creepiest stories tap into our common fears. These two-liners deliver the fear factor in a big way like a punch to throat.

Forget about being entertained. Instead, prepare to be terrorized–fast, thanks to these dark tales from The Occult Museum.

1. I’d Like to Return This Gift Thank You.

Photo Credit: Reddit

2. Freaking Out.

Photo Credit: Reddit

3. Um…Sweetie?

Photo Credit: Reddit

4. Here’s Some Work Apprehension.

Photo Credit: Reddit

5. My Blood Just Ran Cold.

Photo Credit: Reddit

6. Screaming.

Photo Credit: Reddit

7. So Distressing.

Photo Credit: Reddit

8. Who’s There?

Photo Credit: Reddit

9. Shivering.

Photo Credit: Reddit

10. The Mournful Wailing Doesn’t Stop.

Photo Credit: Reddit

11. This Is Wrong.

Photo Credit: Reddit

12. Or Is It a Nightmare?

Photo Credit: Reddit

13. Nervous?

Photo Credit: Reddit

14. Alarming.

Photo Credit: Reddit

15. I Hate to See Her.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Bad things happen to good people all the time and these little two-line stories strike at that terrible knowledge right where we hold it–in our thudding hearts. We hope you didn’t plan to fall asleep fast tonight.

But, while you wait for its sweet relief, write your own creepy, devastating tale. Then feel in the dark for your phone (maybe it’s under the bed) and post it in the comments.

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This Illusion Makes You See Colors That Aren’t There

If you think things that are black and white tend to stay that way, well, keep paying attention – this illusion, when spun, turns a black and white wheel into a virtual rainbow.

Benham’s Disk (or Benham’s Top) was invented by C.E. Benham in 1894 and sold as a children’s toy. Half the disk was painted black, while the other half had a white background and 12 45-degree concentric arcs drawn on it.

The white side was divided into quadrants, with three concentric arcs in each. When you spin the disk, colors appear in the circles, changing depending on speed and direction – but only in real life.

At the time, no one seemed to understand how it worked – it was discussed in the journal Nature, with researchers saying “the cause of these appearances does not appear to have been exactly worked out.”

And yes, even though we have more theories on why the illusion works today, it still captivates adults and children alike. Theories are all based on how we now know our eyes perceive images, and involve the cones and rods in our eyes that process light.

Cones allow for color vision and vision in bright light, while rods help us see in low light, and perceive things in monochrome. There are three types of cones, each sensitive to a different color light, and they all respond at different speeds that correspond to different lengths of time.

Scientists believe the spinning Benham’s Disk activates cones and rods in alternating patterns, and when you look at just one place on the disk, you see flashes of white, which activates all of the cones in your retina.

The flashes of black activate the rods. Because some cones respond more quickly than others and the flashes keep coming, your eye sees the flashes as colors.

If you want to see for yourself you can check it out online or even build your own at home. Make sure to rotate the black-and-white pattern at a steady, fast pace, until the pattern appears to contain colored rings.

We may not know everything about how this works, but what we do know for sure is that there’s still so much to learn about our minds, and our visual perceptions, and that no, perhaps you shouldn’t believe absolutely everything you see with your own two eyes.

The post This Illusion Makes You See Colors That Aren’t There appeared first on UberFacts.

Put on Your Thinking Cap to Solve These 5 Fun Riddles

Riddles are always fun, but when you’ve got extra time on your hands, they’re an especially fun way to spend (waste) it, don’t you think?

And these 5 are going to require some good, outside-the-box thinking if you want to get them all right!

5. Never ever.

4. The only way to get it is to take it yourself.

3. Sitting while standing.

2. Less is more, or something.

1. Clean and dirty…

Continue reading to check your answers.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Thanks for playing along today!

Did you solve them all? I’m impressed if you did!

Di you have any riddles you love? Let us know in the comments!

The post Put on Your Thinking Cap to Solve These 5 Fun Riddles appeared first on UberFacts.

People Make Fun of British Accents With These Savage Tweets

Ready to have some fun? In the vein of White People Be Like, the latest Twitter craze targets a more, shall we say, specific group of folks.

British people! More specifically, their accents!

Do the kind British people like this? No!

But we love them and their accents so we have gathered a selection of tweets roasting the way they sound, because we’re treasonous and immature.

1. I Thought They Liked T.

2. Rolls Off the Tongue.

3. British People, Chime in Anytime.

4. These are Fun to Say Out Loud.

5. All Joe King Here.

6. Everything Sounds Like My Fair Lady.

7. “Bob’s Your Uncle.”

8. “Oh, yew shouldn’ ‘ave.”

9. So Charming.

10. So Polite.

11. I Could Listen All Day.

12. It’s Like a Rosetta Stone for Going to England.

13. We’d Blend Right In.

14. They Boil Meat Too.

15. Aww.

16. Peppa Pig!

17. Are Thems Fightin’ Words?

18. Sound Advice.

19. Adorable.

20. Okay, Now My Head Hurts.

While it is true we speak the same language, it takes some effort for us Americans to completely understand everything said in a conversation with a Brit.

I’m sure they have no issues understanding Americans at all. We speak with clarity and proper annunciation. Even if they came up with Americans Be Like, we’re pretty tough-skinned.

I say, bring it!

The post People Make Fun of British Accents With These Savage Tweets appeared first on UberFacts.

Screenshots Of Entitled People And Their Crazy Demands

People can be very entitled. They may express it differently depending on what they want though. The internet is full of stories of broken friendships, ruined careers, and even divorces over someone else’s extreme rudeness.

The only silver lining we have is that cell phones, messaging apps, and social media now allow us to better capture these behaviors in real-time. Occasionally, we also get to out the culprits and get some vindication.

The screenshots below show that some people really need to read the room!

10. $15 is Less Than 10% The Asking Price!

This isn’t a friend!

Photo Credit: Reddit

9. Netflix Passwords Aren’t A Right!

They’re totally a privilege!

Photo Credit: Imgur

8. You Can’t Pay Rent In Tea!

Photo Credit: Reddit

7. You Knew The Risks!

You chose to eat where seagulls are present…

Photo Credit: Reddit

6. Sorry Tuesdays Don’t Work For You!

Sorry! Should they deliver on Wednesday?!

Photo Credit: Reddit

5. A Terrible Deal And A Dance?!

Is this a joke?

Photo Credit: Reddit

4. The Irony Here

Photo Credit: Reddit

3. Please, Let This Be A Joke

Photo Credit: Reddit

2. What. Is. Wrong. With. People?!

Someone please let this person know you have to pay to build or buy a home!

Photo Credit: Reddit

1. In Case Anyone Has a Laptop Laying Around…

At least this person is asking nicely instead of messaging randos who are trying to sell their stuff?

Photo Credit: Reddit

Beggars can’t be choosers. It’s just too bad that some people don’t get the hint. The above screenshots and images only show a small percentage of people who think paying for something that’s on sale is merely a suggestion.

Have you encountered anyone like this or know someone who has? We won’t judge you for sharing those experiences in the comments!

The post Screenshots Of Entitled People And Their Crazy Demands appeared first on UberFacts.

Weird Manias That Gripped Society Then Disappeared

Mob mentality remains something slightly mysterious, perhaps because we have no real way to understand or control it. There are stories going back centuries about people who, for one reason or another or for no reason at all, collectively lose their sh*t.

Maybe papers have been written on common delusions and the madness of crowds, but none have come to any solid conclusions – which is perhaps what makes these 4 historical manias so fascinating, still.

4. Genital Retraction Syndrome (Koro)

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Koro is the fear of the genitals shrinking and retracting into the body. Koro is sometimes referred to as genital retraction syndrome. Cases of this fear have been reported around the world – in Asia, Africa, Europe and the U.S. Females occasionally suffer from a variation of koro in which they believe that their nipples are retracting. Interestingly, koro often appears as an epidemic in which multiple cases are reported simultaneously within a specific geographic area. Symptoms First identified in ancient China, koro almost always follows an identical pattern. The sufferer first experiences a tingling sensation in the genitals, followed by a rapid-onset panic attack. This quickly leads to a sudden and pervasive fear that the genitals are disappearing. In Asia, this fear is almost always accompanied by an imminent fear of death, although this element is often missing from reports in other parts of the world. The sufferer normally asks friends or relatives to physically manipulate his genitals to stop them from retracting, which sometimes leads to injury. The anxiety subsides quickly when a culturally acceptable treatment is used, from exorcism to potions. Causes of Genital Retraction Syndrome Koro has been described as a panic disorder that centers around the genitals. It appears to be heavily influenced by cultural beliefs, which might explain why epidemics are common. For example, in some West African outbreaks, the sufferers believed that, rather than retracting into their bodies, their genitals were being stolen for occult reasons. During the "Burning Times" of medieval Europe, witches were held responsible for genital retractions in the local population. The symptoms subsided when the witches were appeased. #psymantra #psychology #psychologist #psychologie #psychologia #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalillness #koro #quotes #fitness #psychiatry #psychiatrist #genitalretractionsyndrome #anxiety

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“Koro” refers to the irrational fear that your genitalia is shrinking or retracting into the body – and people have suffered in en masse since around 300 BCE.  The syndrome is usually found in Africa and Asia and accompanied by severe anxiety, fear of impending death, or terror at losing one’s sexual ability.

The most recent known outbreak happened in Singapore in 1967, where more than 1000 men tried to stave it off using clamps and pegs.

Women have also been victims, believing their breasts or nipples are disappearing, but it’s more likely to affect men in societies where their worth is determined by their reproductive prowess. Psychologists blame culture today, though in the past, witchcraft has (of course) been seen as the cause.

3. Deadly Dancing Mania (1374)

In the Middle Ages, a dancing plague called choreomania gripped dozens of villages along the Rhine River. Hundreds of villagers leaped, jerked, hopped, and danced to music no one unaffected could hear. They barely ate or slept, just danced until their feet bled and the collapsed from exhaustion, hunger, and dehydration.

It happened again in 1518 when a woman in Strasbourg began dancing. Within a week, her troupe had grown to 34 people, and then within a month, to 400 people. Dozens of people died, dancing themselves into heart attacks, strokes, and exhaustion.

Both times, the “plague” disappeared on its own without explanation.

Historians, psychologists, and scientists have all tried to figure it out. At first, the prevailing theory was a mass psychotic episode brought on by eating molded bread, but as the people were dancing, not convulsing, a new theory is mass psychogenic illness.

Professors like John Waller believe it was sparked by pious fear and depression, as both documented dancing plagues occurred during periods of famine, crop failure, flooding, and other high-stakes catastrophes.

A more recent occurrence in the 1840s, in Madagascar, seems to prove that we’re not done with this phenomenon, yet – nor do we understand how it starts or how to stop it.

2. Motor Hysteria

Historical reports that nunneries in the Middle Ages were rife with “motor hysteria,” a mass psychogenic illness where some women exhibit signs of demonic possession, some act out in sexually disturbing ways, and some even meowed like cats and tried to climb trees.

The strange phenomenon lasted for around 300 years and affected convents across Europe, usually ending with a mass exorcism that put a stop to things.

A prevailing theory as to why is a combination of stress and the religious tradition of trance and possession. Nunneries were not gently places, and many women ended up there unwillingly during the Middle Ages, so they could have acted out their stress in strange ways.

1. Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic (1962)

In 1962, a girl in a Tanganyikan (modern day Tanzanian) boarding school told a joke.

Then, 95 girls started laughing and didn’t stop, forcing the school to shut down fora. full 2 months. The mission-run school existed in a tiny, rural village and started with uncontrollable laughing in just 3 students. It turned into a crying fit, anxiety, the fear of being chased, and occasionally violence when restrained. The symptoms spread quickly, apparently transmitted by contact, and lasted anywhere from a few hours to 16 days.

After more than half the students were infected, the school shut down. 10 days later the disease popped up again in a village 55 miles away. 217 people were afflicted over the course of two months, then the disease continued to spread through the countryside – every new victim had come into contact with one of the girls from the closed school in some way.

There was nothing physically wrong with any of the afflicted – no fever, no convulsions, nothing interesting in their bloodwork. Once again, there was no medical explanation for a very real condition that swept through a population.

I’m going to read more about a few of these, because they really are breaking my brain in the best possible way!

What are your theories? Share them with us in the comments!

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