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In November 2023 a spooky makeup trend took TikTok by storm.
Users posted images of themselves with full coverage pale foundation for a ghostly vibe.
Intense grey contouring, hidden eyebrows and pencil altered lips.
The aim behind these creative efforts was actually to resemble humanoid creatures and elicit a particular reaction, known as uncanny valley, from viewers.
And the trend garnered a lot of attention.
As of November 13th, Forbes reported that the Uncanny Valley hashtag had amassed 821 million views.
The funny thing is that the origins of the Uncanny Valley phenomenon actually have nothing to do with makeup at all.
Well of course the meaning of Uncanny can range from strange to unsettling or even disturbing.
Way back before it became a make-up craze on TikTok.
The Uncanny Valley theory was crafted by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori back in the 1970s.
According to Maury, the more a robot resembles a human, the more we pay attention to its small imperfections and the more they make us uncomfortable.
That's why we might find R2-D2 from Star Wars less fear-inducing than well-known human look-alike robot Sophia, for example.
Where does the Valley Park come from?
It refers to a specific part of the curve on a graph Mori designed to illustrate his theory.
On that graph, the horizontal axis represents an object's similarity to humans, and the vertical axis represents the affinity that us humans tend to feel towards it.
The curve shows that initially our affinity increases the more the object becomes humanoid.
But after a certain point it takes a sharp dip, forming a valley on the graph.
So the Uncanny Valley effect explains our reaction to certain robots, but it can also apply to prosthetics, performance captured films like the Polar Express, and even wax statues like those you can see at Madame Tussauds.
Is the idea scientifically proven?
Technically, no.
Even Maury himself acknowledged that his theory wasn't scientific, but rather a guide for robot designers, based on observations of his own feelings and those of people around him.
Nevertheless, the theory serves a purpose beyond the field of robotics.
Think back to Toy Story for example, which was the very first computer animated feature film.
Of course, the plot revolves around toys and there are very few human characters.
To this day, game developers, animators and robot designers still leverage the concept of the Uncanny Valley to enhance the appearance of their creations.
There you have it.
Now you know why we experience the unsettling uncanny valley effect.
In under three minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines.
Listen along and you will really know for sure.
