diff --git a/packages/vaex-core/vaex/agg.py b/packages/vaex-core/vaex/agg.py
index 9fa1fa2ee7..587f99d411 100644
--- a/packages/vaex-core/vaex/agg.py
+++ b/packages/vaex-core/vaex/agg.py
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ def finish(sum_moment1, sum_moment2, sum_moment3, sum_moment4, count):
 
 class AggregatorDescriptorStd(AggregatorDescriptorVar):
     def finish(self, value):
-        return value**0.5
+        return np.abs(value)**0.5
 
 @register
 def count(expression='*', selection=None, edges=False):
diff --git a/packages/vaex-core/vaex/dataframe.py b/packages/vaex-core/vaex/dataframe.py
index a744d70291..ef4a467079 100644
--- a/packages/vaex-core/vaex/dataframe.py
+++ b/packages/vaex-core/vaex/dataframe.py
@@ -1164,7 +1164,7 @@ def std(self, expression, binby=[], limits=None, shape=default_shape, selection=
         """
         @delayed
         def finish(var):
-            return var**0.5
+            return np.abs(var)**0.5
         return self._delay(delay, finish(self.var(expression, binby=binby, limits=limits, shape=shape, selection=selection, delay=True, progress=progress)))
 
     @docsubst