One signature detail we use when we recognize people we know—one that is often overlooked—is their walk. Past studies show that we can discern gender, mood, personality traits by just watching animated simple point-figures…meaning, points of light marking joint positions on amblers, such as knees, elbows, hips, etc.

A group from the Southern Cross University in Australia published a fascinating result in the journal Current Biology,

subjects perceived that figure as walking toward them—regardless of its actual direction. If the walker seemed female, the subjects reported it was walking away from them.

The researchers speculate that these misperceptions may signal deeper evolutionary factors: "…a male figure that is otherwise ambiguous might best be perceived as approaching to allow the observer to prepare to flee or fight. Similarly…especially for infants, the departure of females might signal a need to act…"