37 Netizens Who Foolishly Played Around And ‘Found Out’ The Hard Way

It is ingrained in human nature that we are curious beings. For instance, curiosity is a driving force for people’s development. It helps us learn new things when we’re babies and even when we grow up. 

When a person is curious, their brain releases dopamine. This hormone makes an individual feel satisfaction and motivation, as well as controls memory, mood, learning concentration, and many other body functions. The positive reinforcement acquired from curiosity fuels a person to continue seeking out new experiences and information. Learning about one’s environment is what makes a person a properly functioning social creature. 

Learning isn’t the only benefit of curiosity. When a person's brain is driven to be curious, it doesn’t let their mind be passive. This trains mental strength, which helps people deal with life’s challenges effectively. It also trains coping skills, such as adaptability, emotional resilience, self-awareness, and others. 

Inquisitiveness also opens new possibilities for a person, as by being curious, they do not shy away from trying new things. Only by doing that can an individual find things, activities, or people they enjoy and enrich their lives by incorporating it all into their lives. 

At the same time, curiosity isn’t always the best thing. The saying “curiosity killed the cat” suggests that there are some downfalls to being curious. Some things can be so interesting for people to find out about that they can even act in an overly risky manner. And while riskiness can sometimes be worthwhile, in other cases, it can end on a sadder note.  

Certain demographics are more likely to engage in risky behavior. According to Psychology Professor Matthew Tull, young adults are one of them. Since during early adulthood, the brain is still maturing, it makes people more impulsive and take more risks without consideration of the consequences. 

Some say that biological sex can also have an influence on engaging in risky behaviors. It might be due to either the levels of testosterone or gender norms. Also, apparently, certain genetic variants influence an individual's willingness to make risky decisions. Just as there are certain genes, there are also some personality traits or mental disorders that prompt people to act in a risky way. 

Yet, just as we said before, sometimes, risks pay off in one way or another. That’s how we learn. Maybe you’ll get hurt in some capacity, but it’ll be a lesson for the rest of your life. If you want examples of it, just take a look at today’s list. 

In it, you can see stories of people “playing around” and learning some stuff that they’ll hardly forget in their lifetimes. For some, the lessons were less harsh, like getting bit by a duck or getting a warning letter from the police. For others, the consequences were more severe – injuries, diseases, or even ruined lives. In fact, some are so harsh that it’s quite hard to see a silver lining. 

Well, maybe it can at least work as a warning for us to be more cautious if we don’t want to find ourselves in these people's shoes. And while it’s probably not as effective as experiencing it yourself, it can still be a form of a lesson. 

Do you have any similar stories? Share them with us in the comments!