If you have been on the internet for some time, then you would know of the psychological phenomenon, Uncanny Valley. Uncanny Valley is the discomfort many humans experience when encountering an object that borderlines what makes a human, but not quite (think humanoids or human-like robots). Why does this divide between human and not human make us so uncomfortable? Why do we get a feeling of anxiety from these creatures, from these “beings” being put in society? There are many speculations to these questions but it mainly has to do with the way your brain processes information.

The idea of “human” is a very familiar concept to us. We are around humans, we live in a world built by humans, educate ourselves due to the way of previous humans discovering inventions and concepts that must be shared to the world, thus ingraining every. single. part. of. our. lives. So when we see the concept of human, or the looks of human being altered slightly, we develop a sort of anxiety because our brain cannot recognize this new “version” of “human.” This division between what is comforting to us and what is not comforting to us is a scary phenomenon, which is what triggers anxiety and distress. This feeling is popular in medias such as The Sandman, where fears of doppelgängers is present, as they are playing someone known to “comfort” in an evil, twisted way. Though uncanny valley is not a popular theme here in The Sandman, it still covers the idea of knowing what is familiar and it being altered ever so slightly physically, which creates an intense anxiety and discomfort due to the lack of processes in the brain which can differentiate the original being and the “new” unfamiliar version.

Our brain isn’t sure how to process this new version of “human.” We don’t know how to approach this doubled creature, so we end up developing anxiety and feel terrified by this fear.