7 Common-Sense Facts That Are Actually Creepy AF

It's time for real talk: Although common sense is great when it comes to being an adult, it's also kind of a buzzkill if you're a horror fan. It's hard to creep yourself out when you're intellectually aware that the scratching outside your window is just a tree branch (probably). However, common sense and creepiness aren't always mutually exclusive. In fact, there are all kinds of random creepy facts out there that might seem innocuous at first but quickly end up terrifying when you think about them.

I'm not talking about your typical scary facts — your surprisingly high chances of meeting a psychopath (or being one), for instance, or the ultra-creepy histories behind common nursery rhymes This isn't to say they aren't creepy, but we've all been there, done that, and read the listicle back in 2009. But what about the facts that are so well-known we don't ever stop to think about how weird they are? After all, the best horror often plays on the familiar; in fact, research has shown that creepiness comes from being slightly... off. Creepy things aren't outright dangerous, but they breeze past simple weirdness into some incredibly unsettling territory.

And so, without further ado, let's take a look at seven creepy facts. You probably already know them, but have you ever stopped to really think about them? They might not keep you up at night, but they're pretty much guaranteed to make you shiver.

1. Mars Is Populated... By Robots

We have Reddit's r/Showerthoughts to thank for bringing this to the Internet's attention. Until scientists discover life on Mars, it's currently entirely populated by robots. Let's hope they stay friendly.

2. The Definition Of Privacy Is Changing

With the current state of technology, privacy is becoming a thing of the past — or at the very least, its definition is changing entirely. According to some, data mining of consumer information is becoming increasingly invasive, not to mention all the tracking done by the government. Even private browsing isn't actually private.

3. The Brain Named Itself

Oh look, it's another shower thought! Technically, it was an organization of several brains that named the organ, but you get the idea.

4. Humans Are Total Babies In The Grand Scheme Of Things

Human ancestors have been around for around six million years, but the modern human species has only been livin' it up on Earth for 200,000 years. Furthermore, civilization didn't start to coalesce in Mesopotamia until an estimated 6,000 years ago. These might sound like ancient history, but let me put it in perspective: The Earth has been around for 4.5 billion years. I'm gonna go lie down now.

5. The Sun Is Going To Collapse And Die, And We Can't Do Anything About It

Scientists have known for a long time that our solar system's sun is going to die eventually — that's what stars do. Unfortunately, our sun isn't exactly the type to die quietly; astronomers predict that when it expands into a red giant five billion years from now, Earth and all its inhabitants will be utterly vaporized. Fortunately, humans have a while to find a new planet without the prospect of fiery death hanging overhead.

6. Your Perception Of Time Is So, So Relative

Have you ever noticed that your time seems to speed up as you get older? There are a number of explanations for this phenomenon; currently, the prevailing theory is that we judge time based on the length we've already lived. When you're four years old, one year is an entire quarter of your life, but when you're forty years old, a year is a much smaller proportion of your life.

However, that's not the only way time is relative — research has shown that our emotional state influences how we perceive the passage of time. In other news, everything you know is a lie.

7. Tongue Prints Are As Unique As Fingerprints

I'm going to leave you on a far less metaphysical note: Recent research indicates that our tongue-prints are just as unique as fingerprints. Great, I guess?

Images: Tristan Colangelo/Unsplash; Giphy (7)