What’s So Scary About Momo?
Science can explain our reaction to the statue’s creepy visage
A few weeks ago, a startling new image started circling around the internet. It was originally taken in 2016 but went viral after being posted on Reddit and YouTube in July this year. It’s a sculpture produced by the Japanese special effects company Link Factory that’s been nicknamed “Momo.”
Momo has since become associated with online creepypasta culture, but why is she so creepy in the first place? Momo’s face is obviously humanlike, but her bulging eyes and distorted mouth are distinctly nonhuman.
Our fear of faces like Momo’s might be explained scientifically. Fear is a difficult emotion to study; there’s debate about what fear even is. One obvious hypothesis is that humans and other animals respond to certain dangerous stimuli with fear and its associated behaviors in order to protect themselves. Our consistent reactions to things that seem to provoke fear and disgust can be explained in an evolutionary framework and have been important to our survival for a long time. And Momo can fit into several of them.
Fear of Disease
The avoidance of disease and parasites is a very important aspect of survival for all organisms, and humans are no exception. Disease can obviously threaten…
