Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

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

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

Ramy Youssef and Elmo
@sesamestreet/Instagram

MAGA Is Predictably Melting Down Over Video Of Elmo Learning New Arabic Words For Arab American Heritage Month

A clip released by Sesame Street on Thursday, April 16, showed Elmo with Egyptian-American actor, comedian, producer, director, and Golden Globe winner Ramy Youssef to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month.

The 41-second video showed Youssef teaching Elmo the Arabic words "salamu alaykum" and "habibi."

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Sinatra; Donald Trump
Jim Spellman/WireImage; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Nancy Sinatra Fires Back At Trump With Four Powerful Words After He Uses Her Father's Song In Cryptic Post

Singer Nancy Sinatra, the daughter of the iconic crooner Frank Sinatra, criticized President Donald Trump after he posted a video featuring her father's version of the song "My Way" to Truth Social amid his ongoing war and negotiations with Iran.

"My Way," a song about an individual looking back on their decision to live life on their own terms, was one of the late Sinatra's signature hits. Trump posted a video of Sinatra singing the song with no comment or explanation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Pete Buttigieg; Donald Trump
@Acyn/X; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg Explains Why Trump's AI Jesus Post Was So Offensive To Christian Conservatives In Viral Video

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg condemned President Donald Trump for posting an AI-generated post depicting himself as Jesus Christ, describing it as "insulting" to both people's faith and their intelligence.

Earlier this month, the Pope criticized Trump's widely unpopular war in Iran and called on the world "to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
@atrupar/X

Trump Dragged After Gushing Over His Own Signature In Ultra-Cringey Viral Clip

President Donald Trump was super proud of himself after he signed an executive order to make certain psychedelic drugs more available to treat mental health conditions, taking an opportunity to boast about his own signature.

Trump's order approves $50 million in federal funding to expand access to certain therapies and directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fast-track its review of drugs like psilocybin and ibogaine. He was joined by the likes of podcaster Joe Rogan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Oval Office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlize Theron (left) responds to Timothée Chalamet’s (right) controversial comments about ballet and opera.
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

Charlize Theron Gives Timothée Chalamet A Blunt Reality Check About His Future After His Comments Insulting Ballet

Timothée Chalamet declaring that “no one cares” about ballet and opera was always going to age poorly. It just happened faster than expected.

Enter Charlize Theron, who didn’t just disagree—she flipped the whole argument, suggesting that while centuries-old art forms will endure, Chalamet’s own career may be far more vulnerable in the age of artificial intelligence.

Keep ReadingShow less