The study examines the concept of creepiness, aiming to develop a typology of creepy behaviors and feelings based on responses from 121 participants. It explores what creepiness looks like, the specific interactions that elicit feelings of creepiness, and the physiological and emotional responses associated with these experiences. The research highlights the potential for identifying creepiness through communication behaviors and its implications for threat detection and safety in social interactions.

1. Understanding Creepiness:
Development of a Typology of Creepy Behaviors and Feelings
Shannon T. Carton, Sean M. Horan, & Brian H. Spitzberg
Literature Review Purpose of Study Examples
Question 1
Although “creepiness” is known and known This research examined instances of creepiness. Participants (n = 121) completed open-ended What does creepiness look and sound like?
discussed, little scholarly research has been questionnaires about situations that they identified as “creepy.” They reported on the specific
conducted on this topic. In the vernacular, interactions, people, contexts, and their feelings (physiological and emotional) when creepiness
creepy refers to things that make us uneasy, occurred. This project is the first step in the development of a creepiness scale, which will
afraid, disgusted, anxious, or that give us further help us understand what creepiness is, what it is related to, and what the implications
chilling feelings. are of experiencing a creepy situation or person.
The little research conducted has examined
words related to creepiness. This includes
words such as weirdness (Ostow, 1963; Paul, Research Questions
1976), oddness (Brewer, 2008), bizarre
behavior (Deporto, 2007), fishy-looking behavior 1. What interactions did participants identify as creepy? What were the specific behaviors,
(Bond, 1992), deception (Vrij & Holland, 1998), contexts, and characteristics of creepy interactions or creepy people?
and deviance (Stewart, 2009).
Creepiness might also be related to other 2. What did participants feel when they experienced creepiness, physiologically and
areas of research; however, without first emotionally?
examining creepiness independently, these
relationships cannot be examined. Some areas Results
of research that might relate to creepiness
include threat detection, formication, fear,
Question 1 Question 2
anxiety, and disgust. Threat detection and What does creepiness look and sound like? What does creepiness feel like?
formication are of particular interest in this
research. Formication is the feeling that the skin Question 2
What does creepiness feel like?
is crawling or tingling (Brandt, 1977). This is a
negative, tingling sensation that is irritating,
disgusting, and fear-inducing.
Many people experience formication when
in danger, and when “creeped-out.” Formication,
then, might be a result of creepiness, and could
aid in detection of threats. Threat detection is of
great importance, as vigilance to threatening
stimuli and detection of threats can increase
self-preserving behaviors.
Women who were stalked reported feeling
“creeped-out” by certain appearances and
behaviors of their stalkers (Cupach, in press). In
Researchers’ contact
fact, 43% of these women used the word information
“creepy” in interviews without being prompted to Shannon T. Carton, (M.A., DePaul University, 2012) is a PhD student
do so. This suggests three important and GTA in the Department of Communication Studies, West Virginia
University. Sean M. Horan, (PhD, West Virginia University, 2009) is a
implications that inform present research. First, professor in the College of Communication at DePaul University. Brian
creepiness is common. Second, creepiness is H. Spitzberg (PhD, University of Southern California, 1981) is a
professor in the School of Communication at San Diego State
likely identifiable through communication University. Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed
behaviors. Third, creepiness may precede to Shannon T. Carton, Department of Communication Studies, 108
Armstrong Hall P. O. Box 6293, West Virginia University, Morgantown,
potentially dangerous situations. If creepiness is WV 26506. Email: stcarton@mix.wvu.edu
legitimized in scholarship and then attended to,
people might be better able to avoid dangerous
situations.