Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Most Morbid Questions They've Always Been Too Afraid To Ask

Make us preferred on Google

WARNING: Some NSFW content ahead.

Are humans just naturally morbid? Many of us watch scary movies or spend our evenings reading about serial killers on Wikipedia.

If you were to ask Professor Glenn Sparks from the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University, he'd tell you that our morbid curiosity with gross or unnerving subjects "goes back to the initiation rites of our tribal ancestors, where the entrance to manhood was associated with hardship."

Regardless of where this curiosity stems, social mores often dictate that asking questions about morbid topics is insensitive and inappropriate.

That's why it's interesting that people were able to ask their questions openly thanks to Redditor InkBlooded, who asked the online community,

"What is your most morbid question that you've always been afraid to ask?"

"What does..."

"What does decomposing dead body smell like?"

"I shouldn't have asked this question."

freshavoqadoo

To which this person answered:

"It has this sickly sweet smell to it. Like rotting fruit but definitely a putrid death smell. I don't know how to describe it. Sometimes if it's fresh and you can smell the blood too."

"Either way not fun."

lighningspider97

"When people get gravely injured..."

"When people get gravely injured, say, severed in half or their brain is exposed, do they know that they're going to die or is their body just spazzing out?"

1BoiledPackage

And here came someone with an excellent response:

"It depends on the injury. Some are awake and alert and in lots of pain, others are nearly numb to it."

"I witnessed a motorcycle crash. The person had a huge, open head injury with part of their brain exposed."

"Those of us who stopped to help tried to do what we could. The guy who had the injury said it felt like he fell and hit his head. He was in and out of consciousness, but said it didnt hurt. He was kind of numb to the pain."

"He took his own helmet off and looked in the motorcycle's mirror and saw his brain coming out. (It is literally the consistency of jello or toothpaste with a membrane around it). He said, 'I see my brain. I'm going to die. I thought it would hurt more.'"

"Then he closed his eyes and never regained consciousness."

TREND-PRECURSOR

"Parents of adult children..."

" Parents of adult children: Do you find your son, and/or daughter physically ugly?"

MTV_Challenge_Fan

A parent offered this response:

"Coming from a parent: you will know your kids aren't 'unconditionally perfect' but you will love them with all your heart anyway."

"And some of those imperfections will feel like they're your fault. (Like having a picky eater–if only I had been more diligent about variety when they were a toddler). So you will love your kids more because you screwed up, not in spite of it."

AHappyHeretic

"How does it feel..."

"How does it feel to watch someone die?"

Gr1ning

Someone offered this response:

"It depends on whether it’s expected or not. I sat with my grandma as she took her last breath. It was very peaceful. I wouldn’t trade that moment with her for anything."

"I hope she felt me there and knew she wasn’t alone."

-4twenty-

"I've always wanted to ask someone..."

"I've always wanted to ask someone in the armed forces how many people they have killed, not to make them look horrible, just out of curiosity. I know that you never ever ask someone in the armed forces that though and I respect it enough not to ask someone."

YurakHuntmate

This person offered up a memory of their father:

"My Dad was in World War Two. And when I found out I was naturally curious. I was maybe 7 and asked if he had killed anyone. He answered yes. Then I asked how many? He got a little upset and said, 'I don't know and I don't want to know.'"

"He then told me about how awful war is and how it's real people getting killed. It wasn't like the movies. He said I could still play with army men and toy guns, but to remember it's just play and that real war is horrible."

"Decades later my brother in law who was in Vietnam told me that he and my Dad talked a lot about their experiences. He said my Dad had confided in him that he had killed "many many men." I guess my Dad could only share the truth with another vet."

GrandUnhappy9211

"Why wouldn't it be legal..."

"Why wouldn't it be legal for my family to just bury me in a loved one's backyard? No coffin, no frivolity, just leave me there to decay for the fungi and the earthworms. Or would it be? Like, if the proper paperwork was filled out?"

kiwisandakindle

This person offered some valuable information in response:

"It's because governments are very picky about what you can do with a dead body, and basically force corpses to be buried in local cemeteries. And the law is very slow to change because people aren't interested in voting for death stuff and having to think about it."

"Basically everything involving a corpse is illegal, so even if its a small thing like burying a body, you can't do it. And to why those laws are so strict, its because they were made back in the day when people thought a corpse is harmful, and the death industry pushed the idea that unless embalmed they're harmful."

"Some countries, like India, require a coffin/casket by law."

BusinessCan3830

These Actors Were Perfectly Cast In Their Roles | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Sometimes an actor comes along that is able to reach the audience on a deeper level. The actor that immediately comes to mind is Robin Williams. Although it ...

"What does a human..."

"What does a human taste like? We are meat, but do we taste like how a hamburger or chicken tastes, or do we taste completely different?"

zombiee_

And this person said:

"I've read it's like pork. Hence the term 'long pig.' You could always check out the story of the guy who brought home his amputated foot and made tacos with it. I'm pretty sure he describes the taste."

Bermnerfs

"Why have we over romanticized..."

"Why have we over romanticized suicide in television? They say that you evacuate all waste when you die, so every show where they find someone just hanging, shouldn't there be s**t and piss on the floor that dripped out of their clothes?"

frankenboots

Soon after, they received this response, and it makes sense:

"You can go back 2000 years to when a lot of classical literature was written and still find prominent mentions of suicide. People find it interesting. Same thing with love affairs. And murder."

soline

"How quickly during the process..."

"How quickly during the process of death does the person stop feeling pain or discomfort or touch sensation?"

bitterherpes

A short and sweet answer:

"The feeling in limbs, like the feet, the loss of sensation can happen some days before death in case of terminal illness. The body is shutting down."

MissNatDah

"Because I think parents do it all the time..."

"Parent's of Reddit, do you favour and love one child more than the others? And if you say no, have you ever asked one of your children about it?"

"Because I think parents do it all the time and don't realize that they're discriminating between children."

TheyCallMeCrazyEmi

And here's a very wise response from a parent:

"As a parent of 3, the answer is: it's complicated. I don't have a "favourite" exactly but I have favourite things about each kid."

"Kid #3 is certainly the easiest, and the others think I favour #3 because of it. Truth is, I just rarely need to tell them things twice. However, they probably need the most help with school and complex concepts. They are very sensitive and artistic."

"Kid #2 is the funniest and the one I pick to help when I need to get something done. They are like a hurricane emotionally though. So much willful energy. They can be a lot to deal with. This one also has all the dirt on everyone."

"Kid #1 is probably the most like me. They're very independent and, while the other two are very close, has always kind of stood apart from them. Quiet and easy to spend time with. Quite level headed but emotionally distant. I'll always see them as my first baby."

"You see, it's more complicated than a "favourite". All kids are different and have their good and bad traits. What's most important is telling them how great their good traits are and using positive reinforcement!"

We hope these responses have satisfied some of your morbid curiosity, dear readers.

At least we ended this on a significantly lighter note!

Have some morbid questions of your own? Feel free to ask them in the comments below! You never know who might have the answer!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot off John McGuire discussing Anthony Fauci
Newsmax

MAGA Rep. Dragged After Claiming Fauci Used 'Baby Parts' In COVID Vaccine In Bonkers Interview Clip

Virginia Republican Representative John McGuire sparked criticism after he accused Dr. Anthony Fauci during an interview on Newsmax of using "human fetus baby parts" in the COVID-19 vaccine instead of ivermectin, which is not a proven COVID-19 remedy but has nonetheless been promoted by conspiracy theorists.

Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has long been the target of conspiracy theories that served to undermine his COVID-19 pandemic response.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harry Styles interacting with fan
@BuzzingPop/X

Harry Styles Has To Alert Fan Who Wants Selfie That Her Baby's Stroller Is Rolling Into A Busy Street In Bonkers Viral Video

Most of us have been starstruck when meeting a celebrity, but have you ever been so starstruck you let your baby roll into traffic in their stroller?

Hopefully not, but that's what one mom did when she unexpectedly met Harry Styles on the street.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Labor Department Hit With Blunt Factcheck After Posting 'Godfather'-Style Meme To Boast About Trump

Similar to the AI-generated NFT trading cards then former Republican President Donald Trump produced of himself in 2022 for his MAGA minions to buy, the current Trump administration keeps depicting the POTUS as characters from movies or pop culture.

The latest Trump fantasy figure was shared by the Department of Labor (DOL) under Acting Secretary Keith Sonderling. Trump's original Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, resigned in April during an internal investigation for misconduct and abuse of power.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marco Rubio
Brendan Smialowski / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

Trump's State Department Just Mislabeled Every Country On A Map Of Africa At A Global Conference—And It's So Awkward

The State Department issued an apology after mislabeling every country on a map of Africa presented at a pre-conference in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the AIDS 2026 conference.

The error is all the more embarrassing because high-level African officials were in the audience. Emily Bass, an expert consultant for Physicians for Human Rights, who writes about the Trump administration's global health agenda on her Substack, said the map could not have been any more incorrect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of John Cornyn surrounded by reporters
CNN

GOP Senator Epically Trolls Trump After Being Asked If Not Having To Run For Reelection Has Made Him 'More Independent' From The President

Republican Senator John Cornyn, who was primaried out by a Texas candidate who was backed by President Donald Trump, gave a revealing answer when asked whether his unwillingness to support confirming Todd Blanche as Attorney General is an example of him being more "independent" from the president.

Cornyn and his outgoing GOP colleague, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, are urging the Justice Department to revise its settlement with Trump to explicitly eliminate a proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" compensation fund.

Keep ReadingShow less