Loneliness is an epidemic, and not just in the U.S., but all around the world. In 2025, the Pew Research Center reported that 16% of Americans feel isolated from the people around them all or most of the time. Other research shows that American men under 35 are among the loneliest groups in the world.
This leads to them developing unhealthy coping mechanisms, which, for some, are to blame women for their loneliness and adopt the incel lifestyle, or be involuntarily celibate. There's no exact number on how many young men identify with the term, but research suggests that between 60,000 and 100,000 young men are active on incel forums.
This time, Bored Panda wants to highlight the stories that made former incels realize that the community is hella toxic and made them leave. We're bringing you the experiences that people shared when one netizen asked, "Former incels, what was the moment you realized what you were and what did you do change/better yourself?"
