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Mantas Kačerauskas

30 Terrifying Signs That Had No Business Being This Scary (New Pics)

The main purpose of a sign is to communicate a message or convey information. Most are useful. But others are just plain stupid. Then there are super funny signs. And those that make no sense at all. But have you ever come across a sign that gave you goosebumps? And not in a good way.

r/ScarySigns is a spot on the internet dedicated to terrifying signs. The community has 434k members, and they’re obsessed with “signs found in the world that you don’t want to be near!” Keep scrolling for our top picks from the page, and don’t forget to upvote the ones that would stop you in your tracks. If you’re interested in finding out why some people enjoy watching or looking at things that scare them, like horror movies or these scary sign pics, read on to hear what the experts have to say.

#1 "For More Information On Lung Cancer, Keep Smoking."

Image credits: lalaxoxo__

#2 The Deadly Bells

Image credits: CounterproductiveAim

#3 Don’t Forget Your Life Jacket

Image credits: medimanager

Fear is a necessary human emotion. It alerts us to possible trouble so that we can react, which in turn helps us survive potentially deadly situations. When encountering danger, fear triggers us into fight-or-flight mode. We can either choose to go up against the perceived threat, or we can run away as fast as possible.

But there is another response… Freeze. When something just stops us in our tracks, and we make like Elsa in Frozen. Some of the signs pictured here have elicited that very response from the people who encountered them. Until they became unstuck enough to take a photograph and share it with the r/ScarySigns community.

#4 Do Not Allow Water To Enter Your Nose

Image credits: voxadam

#5 Tsunami Marker "Remember The Calamity Of The Great Tsunamis. Do Not Build Any Homes Below This Point"

Image credits: highdiver_2000

#6 Become Soup

Image credits: SamboTheGr8

If fear is a negative emotion and a state that many of us don't necessarily like being in, why do we enjoy watching horror movies, or scrolling through photos of terrifying signs? According to experts, it has something to do with the chemicals our body releases after being scared.

#7 Some Good Advice On The Big Island Of Hawai'i

Image credits: variegatedbanana

#8 Inside The Boy’s Bathroom At School

Image credits: SkyaGold

#9 Turn Back Now!

Image credits: RetiredAerospaceVP

Margee Kerr has dedicated her career to learning as much about fear as she can. She’s a sociologist and the author of SCREAM: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear. She says fear floods our bodies with "feel-good" hormones. "Our arousal system is activated and triggers a cascade of 'feel good' neurotransmitters and hormones like endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline that influence our brains and our bodies," Kerr told The Huffington Post.

#10 At My Local Park

Image credits: Llyerd

#11 When You Perfectly Capture The Mood Of A Generation

Image credits: the_lamou

#12 Highway 16, Canada. Over 80+ Confirmed Murders. Whose Got More Insight To This?

Image credits: MichaelT1991

You’d most likely be watching a horror movie or scrolling through these pics in a place where you feel safe. Not while you’re in immediate, real danger. And that makes a big difference. “To really enjoy a scary situation, we have to know we’re in a safe environment,” Kerr told The Atlantic. “It’s all about triggering the amazing fight-or-flight response to experience the flood of adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine, but in a completely safe space.”

#13 Came To A Family Dollar In A Pretty Ghetto Area, The Restrooms Are Right Next To The Employee Break Area, And I Saw This Sign On The Way Out

Image credits: Bruser75

#14 In Chicago Near The Former Site Of The Argonne National Laboratory, An Early Site Used For The Manhattan Project

Image credits: Either_Coast

#15 In Barbados

Image credits: kjfdlhs

Kerr says humans have been intentionally scaring themselves, and each other, since the dawn of time. "Through all kinds of methods like storytelling, jumping off cliffs, and popping out to startle each other from the recesses of some dark cave," she said.

The expert adds that there are various reasons for this. "To build group unity, to prepare kids for life in the scary world, and of course, to control behavior. But it's only really in the last few centuries that scaring ourselves for fun (and profit) has become a highly sought-after experience."

#16 Sign Says "Beware Of Rock Throwing Monkeys"

Image credits: saugoof

#17 Found In A Small Rural Nz Town

Image credits: MissLauraJ

#18 Wildfire Is Just Over The Hill

Image credits: Keep--Climbing

Sometimes we put ourselves into a state of fear purely just to "feel." "For many people everyday life can feel overly routinized and even boring," said Dr. David Zald, director of the Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at Vanderbilt University. "By contrast, when scared we are fully aware, conscious and in the moment. We are not preoccupied thinking about what happened yesterday or what we have to do tomorrow." Have you ever noticed how you feel wide awake after getting a fright? Now you know why.

#19 These Have Always Been The Scariest Signs To Me. Those Markers Aren’t Even Close To The River. Great Falls, Va

Image credits: hallowissmol

#20 "If You Talk Too Much, This Man May Die" - Written Around A Mirror (World War II)

Image credits: CrithionLoren

#21 The Rocky Mountains Are No Joke

Image credits: giant_squid_god

Not everyone enjoys fear. Some actually have a fear of fear. According to VeryWellMind, “Whereas most people experience fear only during a situation that is perceived as scary or threatening, those who live with anxiety disorders may become afraid that they will experience a fear response. They perceive their fear responses as negative and go out of their way to avoid those responses.”