What makes a person creepy?

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A new study says these are what make somebody creepy:

http://www.today.com/health/what-makes-person-creepy-these-behaviors-physical-traits-study-finds-t85401?cid=sm_fb

I agree with that professor guy at the end of the article. All this stuff seems cultural to me.

What's creepy about collecting dolls? Yes I know *some* dolls look creepy, but not my dolls, they look sweet and lovable.

Well, I guess that's what most doll collectors think. There are adults who make and collect those "reborn" babies, and they look too realistic. Like little infant corpses to me.

The Bloggess ( http://thebloggess.com/ ) is so not creepy! Oh, wait; she's not an actual taxidermist, she *collects* works of taxidermy. Also, she completely understands being different, and having depression and can describe it so perfectly, which makes her [not creepy] in my book, but rather a kindred spirit.

Some of it would describe someone on the autism spectrum. Another creepy thing I will add: Talking to someone about your life drama and personal issues and you don't even know them. I hate it when strangers do this to me.

I don't agree with everyone on the list that is creepy such as being a clown or cab driver or collecting things or doing photography. I don't find greasy hair to be creepy or dirty clothes.

My brothers and their friends found my ex to be creepy because of his trench coat and the hand gestures he used my mother found creepy and the look on his face like he is stoned and not there because he wasn't at his computer. But I didn't find him creepy but lot of people did.

I have long fingers.
Off goes the creep detector!
Seriously, long fingers are okay, what I find creepy is long fingers with long nails and dirt under those.

Perhaps long fingers are considered scary because they make hands vaguely look like spiders.

^ i think your hands are beautiful. i've told you before.

i used to collect toenails, mine. i wear raggedy clothes, and have an uneasy smile. stoic and with spider hands, i admit to taking pictures of others more than one.

it all makes sense now! why people have avoided me for so long!

on occasion, i have found it easier to talk about my problems to strangers than family members.

Hmmmmm,I have long fingers,wear weird clothes,laugh or smile inappropriately at times,bird watch and collect things.
Guess I've set the creep-o-meter off.lol
If it keeps people away from me,good.

Interesting article, I can see where asking to take pictures of people and talking about sex is creepy but I don't get the rest of the stuff. If you talk to me and I don't want to talk to you and you don't give me an exit to the conversation, I'll just stop talking and walk away. I feel similarly with the other stuff. When I think creepy, I think either pervert which is why the pictures and sex talk rings true or serial murder. Some of this stuff just targets people with poor social skills if you ask me.

what is "weird clothes"?

When I wrote that I had on fleece pj bottoms with a black and white rose print,a purple t-shirt that says "Super heroes have issues too" with the super heroes and their mental illnesses listed,Mukluks,and a hot pink wind breaker.
It's not exactly what most people in this area wear,so I'm sure it would look weird to most of them.Ive never had any sort of fashion sense.I just wear what I like and its mandatory that it's comfortable.

Stop it Kip, you're making me blush! :embarrassed:

Technically I collect my nails as well, but only technically.
Since it would otherwise make a mess, I cut them inside a plastic bag.
They then stay in there, not because I want to keep them, but because I'm too lazy to empty the bag every time.

wow! i had to look up mukluks! very pretty. that's common fr most aspies i believe, i also wear what i like, which happens to be "nice" or "plain" looking clothes so the stared do not often come. i'd never wear formal clothes on my own volition but when i need to i find them strangely comfortable after a while.

i don't really feel excessively hot when i wear jackets in hot weather...i wore a blue one today, with pink fingerless gloves and round red tinted sun glasses. not too long ago i was wearing a thick wool scarf with it. (it was a gift...i had to).

that is what usually gets the stares and comments, if only from my family and not many else.

Psychologists have apparently discovered creepiness as a research topic.

A case of the “heeby jeebies”: An examination of intuitive judgements of “creepiness”.
Watt, Margo C.; Maitland, Rebecca A.; Gallagher, Catherine E.
Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, Vol 49(1), Jan 2017, 58-69

The present research examined “creepiness,” a commonly referenced but little understood construct. In Study 1, 185 undergraduates (74% women) provided qualitative data on the defining characteristics of “creepiness.” “Creepiness” was found to reside in the eyes, and was associated with men with ectomorphic-like bodies, with a dishevelled appearance, between 31 and 50 years of age. In Study 2, 48 students (71% women) rated black-and-white photographs of Caucasian male faces on a 7-point Likert-type scale for “creepiness,” trustworthiness, and attractiveness. Pictures included 15 neutral images from the Sterling University Psychological Image Collection, 15 images from America’s Most Wanted website, and 15 images rated most “creepy” in a pilot study. “Creepy” faces were perceived to be significantly less trustworthy, less attractive, and more “creepy” than the other 2 groups. There was a significant correlation between trustworthiness and attractiveness across all 3 groups, with between 25% and 58% of the variance in trustworthiness ratings explained by attractiveness. Results are discussed in terms of how judgments of “creepiness” are made, how “creepiness” may be less about physical peril and more about ambiguity of threat and violations of social norms, and implications for stigmatized populations such as the mentally ill.\

http://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cbs0000066