Science: It tells us all about ourselves. Now, thanks to a new survey by Knox College social psychologist Francis McAndrew (via Business Insider) we know what characteristics it takes to make someone seem creepy.
What does it take for someone to give you that creepy feeling? It's a response humans have developed in response to an ambiguous threat, be it violent or sexual — basically "anything that would make you unsure of what the person would do next," McAndrews said. We're looking at you, Ramsay Bolton on Game of Thrones, Hester on Scream Queens, and many more creepy Hollywood characters.
The survey asked people what behavior a person would have to exhibit while talking to one of their friends to seem creepy. The number-one response was that it would be creepy if they spied someone watching their friend before talking to them. Number two on the creepy scale was frequent touching, while number three was steering the conversation towards sex. Ick.
A total of 95% of folks taking the survey thought men were more likely to be creeps than women. And surprising no one, the top profession thought to be held by a creepy person was clown, followed by taxidermists, sex shop owners, and funeral directors. It's a pretty unsurprising list all around, since being so involved with sex or death is part of what people find inherently creepy.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT