Why Do We Get the Creeps?

For instance, masks, and why clowns are creepy. Claude Levi-Strauss wrote that the facial disguise temporarily eliminates, from social intercourse, the part of the body which reveals personal feelings and attitudes. Part of the reason even a neutral or happy mask can be creepy may have to do with ambiguity. A mask hides the true emotions and intentions of the person underneath. You don’t know if the person wearing that mask is a threat or not. Vagueness is creepy when it comes to the human form. This is the famous Uncanny Valley. Where something can be almost entirely human, but off by just a little. Not so wrong that it’s clearly fake or funny, or so good that it’s indistinguishable. Instead, it’s just troubling.