Take a look at this image. How does it make you feel? Spooked, frightened, bewildered. Maybe this is the unc Okay, you you all probably know what the uncanny valley is. But if you don't, it's a psychological theory that explains the discomfort people feel towards something that looks almost human, but not quite. As shown in this graph, as something becomes more humanlike in appearance, people respond more positively to it until a certain point where we find it disturbing. This dip or valley in affinity is called the uncanny valley. Take for example dolls. At the midpoint of the graph, we might have something like this. You can tell that it's not human. It's cartoony and doesn't have super realistic features. But then we have something like this. Now, me personally, I find this a little creepy. I don't know what it is, but there's something in those eyes, man. I I don't like it. Now, it does vary depending on the person. Obviously, these toys sell, so not everyone finds these creepy, but there is a reason dolls are a big part of the horror genre. In this video, I'm not going to be focusing on what the uncanny valley is, as I kind of just did that, and plenty of others have already covered it. Instead, I'll be exploring the different theories that try to explain why we fear the uncanny valley. What in our evolutionary past or psychology gives us this fear of things that look almost human? Will we uncover the answer? Well, uh, you'll have to stick around to find out as we dive into the mystery of the uncanny valley. Where's the intruder? Fair warning, this video will contain imagery that people may find disturbing. So, leave now if you don't like that. You know what? Actually, let me get this out of the way. Okay, that was the scariest one. Not that bad, right? Anyway, now on to the theories. As I explained before, we all know the whole thing with the uncanny valley is that people fear things that look almost human, but not quite. Well, the human likeness theory is just that. It just ends there. Our minds are programmed to know what is human and what isn't. And when there is something that blurs that distinction, it initiates a fear response because just like the dark or space, we fear it because we don't know enough about it. While this theory might not be the sole cause of the uncanny valley effect, I wanted to start with it because in my opinion, it's one of the most believable theories. And many other theories we'll discuss actually incorporate some elements of this theory into their own. Oh yeah. The theory of mate selection suggests that uncanny features make us feel uneasy because our brains are wired to avoid potential mates who show signs of low fertility, poor health, or weak immune systems. I can see how this could make sense. People have a natural reaction to others they would or wouldn't like to bedle with. More attractive people are received more positively in our minds and less attractive people not so much. I mean look at modeling, movies, TV, even politics. A lot of it is cultural, sure, but our brains are wired to favor more attractive people. Though I don't really agree with this theory. For one, we can find people of a group we aren't attracted to unattractive or frightening. Like we can see straight dudes bullying other straight dudes for being unattractive. Or I guess in the case of the uncanny valley, a straight girl can find Momo scary. And for another I mean come on, you really think people are scared of these things because they don't want to do the devil's tango with them? Speaking of the devil, [Music] Many creatures from folklore and religious texts fall into the uncanny valley. Creatures like the Nephilim and the devil from the Christian Bible, the Gollum in Jewish folklore, or the Wendigo from Algangquin cultures. All of these are humanlike creatures with something unsettlingly off. The Nephilim and Gollums, for instance, are giants, larger than-l life versions of human beings. The devil has the form of a man but with animalistic features. And the Wendigo, as described by Basil H. Johnston, has skeletal emaciated features as if it were a hollow shell of a person. A common theme in these creatures is the idea of soullessness or a broken soul. the idea that they are humanlike beings but distinctly lack the sort of thing that would make them truly alive or human. Kind of like how I feel when someone says Mosasaurus or pterodactyl is a dinosaur which they are not. But soullessness is also something we associate with robots or dolls humanlike but completely artificial entities. This theory, I like to call the religious theory, suggests that our fear of the uncanny comes from a deeprooted fear of the soulless, demons, fallen angels, Gollums, beings that resemble us but lack what truly makes us human. Personally though, just like the last theory, I'm not totally convinced. It's not that I dismiss the theory because it's religious. Rather, I find it hard to believe that we fear something simply because it lacks a soul. After all, there's a lot more concrete evidence backing up other theories. Still, it's an interesting perspective to consider as we explore other theories that may be a little more convincing. [Music] The predator theory suggests that there used to be humanlike creatures that prayed on humans in the past. Similar to the religious theory, a lot of people associate things like giants, demons, mythological creatures, and cryptids. This is different from the mimic theory though, which I'll get into later, as that these are just creatures that look like humans and are not intentionally trying to mimic humans. The only evidence people really have to back up this theory, though, is saying something like, "Oh, well, so many cultures across the world have stories about humanoid quers. They they got to be real, right?" I hate that opinion. We have stories about humanoid creatures today. A bunch of them. Take the rake for example. There are people who believe this creature exists despite obvious proof of it originating on the internet on 4chan or Slenderman. Two girls stabbed their friend over this guy. If you believe this theory, I don't blame you. It spread a lot across Tik Tok and Instagram, which if you've seen my other videos, you should know is kind of a theme. Now, I will say there is actual evidence of humanoid creatures existing with our ancestors. They're called Neanderthalss and other homminids. Now, this is another theory people throw around, the other homminid theory, as I like to call it. The theory that we developed a fear of ancient homminid species because they look like us, but just a little off and we competed with them. It's not a bad theory. I mean, some of these guys do look a little freaky. Me personally, I don't find them that scary. But one of the main problems I have with this is if we were so freaked out by these guys, why the hell do I have Neanderthal DNA? I mean, my ancestors bred with these guys. Plus, some of these things that are part of the uncanny valley do not look like some of these homminids. [Music] The disease theory suggests that our fear of humanlike objects and creatures might come from a prehistoric instinct to avoid corpses and sick people. And it makes sense when you think about it. Robots and dolls that look almost human often have stiff, unnatural movements and lifeless expressions, kind of like someone who's sick or dead. The theory is that our brains still pick up on these signals as a warning, just like it did for our ancestors, even though now we're dealing with robots, dolls, weird CGI, and sick people. I think this theory does make sense for a lot of cases. Take this for example, a prop of a severed head used for the show Dexter. Yes, it's fake. It's not real. Please don't block my video again. It gives off some uncanny vibes, and it is supposed to be a recreation of a dead person, so it fits this theory. Honestly, a lot of Uncanny Valley images apply to this theory. For some examples, Momo with the shrink wrapped skull-like face and bulging eyes. This drawing by Sinister Scribbles, again, a shrink wrapped skull-like face with bulging eyes. That old YouTube video called My Dead Grandma's Coffin in my own backyard where that dude kisses a literal corpse. I'm not going to get more into that. If you know, you know. And even the police sketch of the Baton Rouge serial killer almost looks like a pale dead body. It's even got the dark lips and exaggerated eye sockets. So, mystery solved, right? Well, I'm not entirely convinced. I know I said this for every other theory. Though, I don't really agree with this theory. Personally, though, I'm not totally convinced. I hate that opinion. Why the hell do I have Neanderthal DNA? But I do definitely think this is the strongest theory so far. But there are a few examples that I can't quite fit into this theory, specifically CGI and deep fakes. Take a look at this image or this one. Some may say they're just a little weird, nothing too bad. Others may say they're scary. Personally, I don't mind them too much. I used to watch a Polar Express every Christmas as a kid, so maybe I'm just used to it. But I think we can all agree there's something off about them. But it's not because they look diseased or dead like the last theory. They just look off. So, what could explain this? Homis phallicus or more simply known as the doppelganger. A fictional creature concept created by user Ohio Pingu69. What a name on r/sp speculative evolution. The doppelganger is a mamalian creature that evolved a particular fancy for human flesh and relies on it solely as its food source. Evolving in Africa alongside humans, the doppelganger gained adaptations to help it hunt humans in the dark. a lanky body with long limbs that both helped it climb and reach speeds up to 50 km hour, cushioned feet that absorb sound, and of course, a face that mimics that of a human. But would you be fooled by this? Probably not, right? I mean, it's got no eyebrows. It's completely pale. The eyes are a little far apart. It overall doesn't look too much like a human. But that's the point. This creature uses the confusion that the uncanny valley generates to bewilder its prey before attacking. Now, of course, this thing isn't real, but it's a good introduction to this theory as it distinguishes itself from the predator theory. This creature evolved adaptations to look like humans because it hunted humans. Things like Neanderthalss and other homminids look like humans because we have a common ancestor. Or if we go the religious route, things like giants and folk creatures for the most part don't look like humans to trick them. They just look like humans because that's how they were created. That is what distinguishes the predator theory from the mimic theory. Now, the first idea in this theory is that in our very distant past, as in when we were little rodent things or even earlier, there was something that adapted to look similar to us in order to trick us into trusting it and prey on us. similar to the doppelganger mentioned before, but way further in the past, and we've just retained that fear. The second idea is that something in our recent past has given us this fear, aka something that is purposely with thought imitating humans. Obviously, the main idea of this theory is something supernatural like a shape-shifting crypted or alien or something like that. But it could also have relation to the other homminid and disease theory. It could be that these other homminids or maybe even other humans wore the skin of humans in order to intimidate us or other tribes and it has been ingrained in us to fear this imitation. There isn't much evidence backing up this theory. There's no evidence of non-hominid creatures mimicking humans, nor is there any evidence of the supernatural doing this. I mean, there's videos online, but most of that shit's fake, so not much of evidence. Now, if you've seen my other videos, you probably know that I like to debunk stuff. The Philadelphia experiment, deo ape, and the theories of the body girl are all things I've tried to go through and find the truth for. With this, you'd think I'd do the same. I mean, it sounds kind of absurd when you look into it. Humans wearing other human skin, a supernatural shape-shifting creature. I mean, come on. But one night, I was really thinking to myself why I fear the uncanny valley. I was looking at this image specifically when I really tried to think about it and I realized this doesn't make me uncomfortable because it looks like a dead person or soulless or because I don't want to bedle it, but because it looks like it's trying to mimic a human. And that is what makes me uncomfortable. And yet I'm still not convinced. I know. I know. I know. I'm sorry. So, you know what? Enough of my opinions. Let's look at what the science has to say about it. Okay, so I recorded and edited that last part before even writing this part. Little did I know I would not find much of anything that I haven't already said. I did find that the science for the uncanny valley is quite debated. In fact, the very existence of the uncanny valley, separate from other fears, is pretty debated. The most accepted theories by scientists seem to be the disease theory and to my surprise, the mate selection theory. There are a lot of other theories out there. If you want to do more research, I've got some links in the description, but according to most sources I found, it's most likely the disease theory, but there really is no solid consensus on why we have this fear, which is why I made a video on it and why it fascinates me so much. It's something we really don't have a good grasp of and it's something creepy that we don't have a good grasp of. So, it really it just really gets me interested. Uh, but which theory do you believe in? Let me know in the comments. I know I kind of ragged on a couple of them, but if you believe in one of those, you do you, man. I get the perspective coming from all these theories. Some of these things look in between human and animal, physically unappealing, soulless, predatory, disease, mimicking humans, whatever. Me personally, I'm going to go with the disease theory. I know. I know it's the one the scientists agree on, blah blah blah. But I also really like the human likeness theory. I think that one, it's very basic, but it makes sense to me. If you like this video, leave a like. If you didn't, leave a comment letting me know why. Or even just say, "Fuck you. I don't care." Before I go, though, I want to apologize for my giant gap in between videos. Probably my biggest one yet. I do plan to upload more. I've got a lot of ideas in the chamber, so stay tuned. I've just been so busy with school and work and personal stuff. I may start a Patreon if this video does well. Lord knows I need the money, but it's totally optional. Also, let me know how I can improve my videos. Y'all like the slower, creepier style or the more fast-paced, funny style. Thanks for waiting 8 months and uh letting me waste 16 minutes of your [Music] time. [Music] Had someone tell me I fell off. Ooh, I needed