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What Is the Uncanny Valley and Why Is It So Weird?

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What Is the Uncanny Valley and Why Is It So Weird?

The unsettling truth behind things that are almost (but not quite) human

Have you ever seen a face that was life-like at first glance, but when you looked closer, it turned out to be a robot or CGI character? If it gave you an uneasy feeling, you experienced the Uncanny Valley effect. We’re diving deep into the Uncanny Valley phenomenon, including what it is, where you might have seen it, where the term came from, and why it happens, all with the help of clinical therapist and adjunct professor Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP.

What are Uncanny Valley faces?

Clinical therapist and adjunct professor Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP says the Uncanny Valley is “that uneasy feeling you get when something feels off because it looks human, but not quite.” Some common examples of Uncanny Valley faces include:

  • Humanoid robots
  • Realistic CGI characters with subtle imperfections
  • AI avatars
  • Lifelike dolls
  • Wax figures

    When something looks almost (but not quite) exactly like a human, it can create a psychological response in people that causes them to feel disgust, unease, or a creepy feeling, says Tenzer.[1] If you graph the Uncanny Valley effect, it shows that people increasingly like things that have human-like features—but only up to a certain point. Once something looks too similar to a person, people’s reactions drop steeply (hence the term “Uncanny Valley.”).[2]

    • Theoretically, if something looks passably enough like a human, people’s reactions to it will warm again.
    • Tenzer asserts that, “With all of the technology we have nowadays, [the Uncanny Valley is] not an uncommon occurrence.” She says VR/CGI characters, cartoons, wax figures, AI avatars, lifelike dolls, and animatronics can all potentially trigger the effect.[3]
    • Tenzer says something typically triggers the Uncanny Valley effect because it looks human but doesn’t display human characteristics. For instance, a CGI character might blink less often, exhibit unusual behaviors, or speak with a robotic-sounding voice.[4]
    • There is some debate in the scientific community about the validity of the Uncanny Valley (see the section ”Does the Uncanny Valley Exist?”, below).

    Meet the wikiHow Expert

    Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP is a clinical therapist and adjunct professor with over 18 years of clinical and educational experience in the mental health field.

    If characters look too much like humans but don’t quite match up in terms of movement, expression, or even the texture of their skin, it can create an unsettling Uncanny Valley effect that distracts viewers. Video game characters and AI-generated avatars also frequently trigger Uncanny Valley. Popular examples include:

    • Baby Billy in Pixar’s Tin Toy (1988)
    • The Polar Express (2004)
    • Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
    • Beowulf (2007)
    • The Lion King (2019)