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“Timing is everything” is one of those sayings that seems like common sense, but actually controlling the timing of anything is a lot easier said than done. After all, the entire world and everyone in it is always in motion, so catching a perfect moment is only sometimes done intentionally.

The “Perfect Timing” internet community is dedicated to sharing those perfect moments where the photographer unwittingly captured something cool or hilarious. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to add your own thoughts and experiences to the comments down below.

#1 Bumblebee Carrying The Sun

Image credits: mike_pants

#2 Debbie Parker Captured The Exact Moment A Lightning Hit A Tree In Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia On June 23, 2022

Image credits: Cleverusername531

#3 Lost Footing

Image credits: Tevesh_CKP

There’s something deeply satisfying about those moments when life serves up a perfectly timed coincidence that makes you laugh out loud. Whether it’s bumping into your childhood friend at a random airport halfway around the world, or discovering your new neighbor shares your exact birthday and middle name, these unexpected alignments feel like the universe is winking at us. But why do we find these coincidences so delightful, especially when they’re funny?

The answer lies in how our brains are wired to detect patterns and make sense of the world around us. This same mechanism that makes us laugh at jokes also makes us delight in unexpected coincidences. Our brains love recognizing patterns, but they love it even more when those patterns surprise us.

#4 The Instant The Chick Bit Down On This Dachshund’s Tongue

Image credits: squarepusher6

#5 Trickster Raven

Image credits: infinityxero

#6 Fish – Man – Dog

Image credits: Slow-moving-sloth

The pattern recognition theory of humor is an evolutionary and cognitive explanation of how and why any individual finds anything funny. Effectively it explains that humor occurs when the brain recognizes a pattern that surprises it. Coincidences work similarly to humor in this regard, they present us with unexpected connections that our pattern-seeking brains find irresistible. When we encounter a funny coincidence, we’re essentially experiencing a real-life joke that reality has constructed for us.

#7 Squirrel Admiring The Flowers

Image credits: MichaelRahmani

#8 Perfect Shot Of This Whale Breaching The Surface

Image credits: wadeybb

#9 A Yellow Warbler Flew Into Frame, Whilst Taking A Snap Of An Iguana

Image credits: ian1865

The psychological appeal of coincidences runs deeper than simple pattern recognition. Many people have experienced puzzling, moving, and meaningful coincidences in their lives, which have felt jarring, and may have led them to wonder about fate, karma, and mysticism. Even when we know intellectually that coincidences are just statistical inevitabilities, they still feel magical and meaningful to us. This is because what makes meaningful coincidences unique is that they connect our inner thoughts to external events, like a thought lining up with something in the real world.

#10 Iguana Leap!

Image credits: hootersbutwithcats

#11 Squirrel

Image credits: kantichio

#12 Eclipse On A Bird’s Wing

Image credits: Andthenabird

The humor aspect of coincidences adds an extra layer of enjoyment. As a high-level cognitive activity, humor comprehension requires incongruity detection and incongruity resolution, which then elicits an insight moment. When a coincidence is not only unexpected but also amusing, our brains get to experience both the satisfaction of pattern recognition and the joy of humor simultaneously. It’s like hitting a cognitive jackpot, two types of mental reward for the price of one experience.

#13 This Dog Trying To Catch The Ball

Image credits: Quarafee

#14 Unexpected Bird

Image credits: Balloon_911

#15 A Hot Air Balloon Taking Off Over The Government Building

Image credits: bigblue

Even confirmed rationalists aren’t immune to the charm of coincidences. This speaks to something fundamental about human nature, we’re storytelling creatures who find meaning and joy in narrative connections, even when we know they’re ultimately random. A funny coincidence gives us a brief, delightful story where we’re both the protagonist and the audience.

#16 Just A Pic That My Friend Took Down At The Beach The Other Day

Image credits: sophielola_

#17 Airplane Incident, 1920s

Image credits: reddit.com

#18 That One Christmas When A Champagne Cork Hit Me In The Eye

Image credits: romancreed

The social aspect of coincidences also amplifies their appeal. Funny coincidences make great stories to share with others, and the act of telling these stories often makes them even funnier. There’s something infectious about the joy of an unexpected connection, when we share a coincidence story, we’re inviting others to experience that same moment of delighted surprise alongside us.

#19 A Couple Of Years Ago, My Friend/Coworker Set Her Hair On Fire While Blowing Out The Candles On Her Birthday Cake. This Was Taken The Split Second Before Anybody Realized

Image credits: MURPHtheSURF

#20 She Slipped Trying To Pop The Soap Bubbles

Image credits: GallowBoob

#21 My Sister Dropping Me Circa 1993

Image credits: THEsneezedmeatball

Synchronicity is a phenomenon in which people interpret two separate, and seemingly unrelated, experiences as being meaningfully intertwined, even though there is no evidence that one led to the other or that the two events are linked in any other causal way. While scientists explain these experiences as products of confirmation bias and our tendency to find patterns where none exist, this doesn’t diminish their emotional impact. The fact that our brains are essentially tricking us into finding meaning doesn’t make the experience any less enjoyable.

#22 When My Husband Thought It Was A Good Idea To Pick Me Up While Standing Dangerously Close To The Creek After Our Wedding

Image credits: bixnok

#23 Mid-Air Struggle Behind The Newly Wed

Image credits: TheSANEG

#24 My Parents’ New Pupper Misjudged His Jump

Image credits: scourgeobohem

Even when we know that statistical laws or probability, show how unexpected occurrences can be inevitable or more likely encountered than people assume, we can still choose to enjoy these moments of delightful surprise. After all, knowing how the magic trick works doesn’t always ruin the magic, sometimes it just makes us appreciate the performance even more.