You know how people say that no experience is unique? Turns out, that’s scarily true. Even aside from daily, mundane things like eating breakfast and washing our faces, even the feelings we think are unique to us… well, they really aren’t.

And what better way to describe the very basis of humanity than through hilarious memes? Well, that’s what some Instagram accounts do: share jokes online that we’ll read and, whether we like it or not, see ourselves in. So, we’ve chosen some of the most hilariously relatable ones we could find, and here they are.

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Everyone loves memes, from Doge to the Distracted Boyfriend. These formats are perfect for turning everyday situations into funny concepts. But there’s actually a much deeper reason behind our love for relatable memes: psychological validation.

A 2020 study in Frontiers in Psychology analyzed internet memes as tools for social connection. And the researchers found that humor can act as a shortcut to feeling like we belong. It can reduce isolation by turning internal, private anxieties into shared experiences through a humorous lens, making them feel lighter.

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Memes also trigger a physiological response. Laughter isn’t just a response to a joke; it’s actually a bonding mechanism. Psychologist Robin Dunbar at the University of Oxford found that shared laughter triggers the brain’s endorphin system.

It promotes social bonding and trust, and yes, that can even extend to a bond through the screen. It’s almost like a modern way of tricking our brains into feeling safer and more connected to our tribe.

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Dr. Peter McGraw and Caleb Warren went a step further by researching why the best memes often focus on mild suffering, awkwardness, and existential dread, and they developed a theory that explains what we find so fascinating about relatable memes.

Apparently, they found that even when something negative happens, like being compared to other people or failing a job interview, it becomes much easier to admit it when humor is involved. Basically, it no longer feels like a social threat. When everyone laughs at the situation, it becomes more socially acceptable.

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These memes actually go back long before modern technology. In fact, the first recorded “expectation vs. reality” meme appeared in 1921. This format, which we see everywhere now, first appeared in Wisconsin Judge magazine and contrasted two drawings: how you think you look in a flashlight photo versus how you actually look.

So while we often think of memes as a modern phenomenon, the internet has made these realistic, relatable comparisons more accessible than ever, but humans have always sought this kind of connection. Even newspapers were getting in on the fun.

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There’s also another thing about memes: they’re everywhere on social media. And even when we don’t want to doomscroll, experts say the dopamine released while scrolling can be similar to the reward we get from slot machines. So we end up seeing these memes constantly, feeling more connected, while the algorithm keeps pulling us back in.

But social media isn’t all bad, and in healthy doses, it can help us feel just a little less alone. So, which one of these memes was your favorite? And which one will you be sending to the group chat? Let us know in the comments!