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If asked, most psychologists will tell you what an individual deems creepy largely depends upon the response to the ambiguity of the threat. The state of creepiness has been associated with "feeling scared, nervous, anxious or worried", "awkward or uncomfortable", "vulnerable or violated." Accordingly if someone, something or a location feels too creepy to and is setting off a fight or flight alarm you should really step away from the person or place. Guts have never been known to lie and every once in a while you should judge a book by its cover.

Creepy physical traits -

Now to be fair, the listed can be due to certain medical conditions, genetics and hygiene however this is the most agreed upon.

• bulging eyes
• long fingers, boney fingers
• pasty skin
• greasy hair
• dark eye bags
• dirty or weird clothes
• lips licking
• gross deformities

Several years ago, Psychologytoday.com recruited volunteers to fill out an online survey through Facebook, and ended up with a sample of 1,341 individuals (1,029 females, 312 males) ranging in age from 18 to 77 with a mean age of 28.97.

The study confirmed the following:

• Perceived creepy people are more likely to be males than females.
• Females are more likely to perceive sexual threat from creepy people.
• Occupations do differ in level of perceived creepiness. Clowns, taxidermists, sex-shop owners, and funeral directors were at the top of the list.
• Unpredictability is an important component of perceived creepiness.
• A variety of non-normative physical characteristics and nonverbal behaviors contribute to perceptions of creepiness.
• Participants did not believe that most creepy people realize they are creepy, nor did they believe that creepy people necessarily have bad intentions. However, they also believed that creepy people could not change.
• The most frequently mentioned creepy hobbies involved collecting things, such as dolls, insects, or body parts such as teeth. Bones or fingernails were considered especially creepy; the second most frequently mentioned creepy hobby involved some variation of "watching," such as taking pictures of people, watching children, pornography, and even bird watching and Big Brother politicians.

Creepy places –

Some places have “bad energy”, a feeling that something is “off” or giving you the creeps. These creepy places can be abandoned or haunted houses, the sites of burial grounds or scenes of murder or battles. But even trails in well-trekked forests and National Parks have been known to give hikers these vibes. Your body reacts for involuntary, primeval reasons - your pulse quickens, the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, you feel uncomfortable. These feelings are often stronger walking with a small child or with a loved partner.

Humans have a genetic predisposition activating our “flight or fight” impulse - something giving us a sense that all is not well and to prepare to get the hell out of there. Evolutionary psychologists have proposed the existence of agent detection mechanisms. These are processes that have evolved to protect us from harm at the hands of predators and enemies.

In creepy locations you may automatically fall into a state of hypervigilance which helps keep you safe from human or animal harm. Do remember that there are natural and supernatural circumstances that may be at play:

• Negative energy caused by an event - murders, wartime battles
• Meteorological changes can cause sudden unease in both animals and humans
• Influence of the lunar cycle - the light from the moon and its impact on circadian rhythms
• There has been some research done, most notably by Vic Tandy, that found that there is a certain range of sub-audible frequencies around 19Hz that can provoke feelings of fear and unease in humans. In his case, he was in his lab when he started to feel distinctly "not alone" and even believed he saw something like a spirit. This phenomenon is known as Infrasound.
• Supernatural elements e.g. ghosts or portals/other dimensions
• Carbon monoxide has been known to impact the senses in closed spaces

Creepy items –

Yes items can also give you the creeps. While some folks love old items (the more antique the better) they give some people the creeps. I know one woman who will allow no antiques into her home unless they were “in the family.”

Our winners are:

• Dolls and mannequins. (These head the list)
• Spiders and spider webs
• Clowns
• Ventriloquist dummies
• Faceless paintings
• Deep water
• Open doors at night

Whatever creeps you out – get the hell out of Dodge unless you feel it is so irrational you want to so the work to overcome it. So how brave are you?

https://www.today.com

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-ooze/201505/how-we-decide-whos-creepy

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/questions-answers/weird-vibes-in-the-wilderness

https://www.ranker.com