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Scientists have revealed why five percent of people in the US are afraid of clowns ? and it’s not rooted in scary clown-related childhood experiences, as you might expect.
Instead, the fears are rooted in a handful of typical clown characteristics, according to a new study by American psychologists.
Researchers from the University of South Wales surveyed more than 500 people who have a fear of clowns – known as coulrophobia – and found some surprising reasons for their phobia.
The most mentioned were not being able to tell what the clown is really feeling ? because of the painted-on smile ? and the fearfulness portrayal in some films, such as the character Pennywise in the 2017 version of Stephen King’s ‘It.’
Elements of a clown’s appearance, including the tufts of brightly colored hair and the big red nose, can also be disturbing.
Those who fear clowns say part of the fear has to do with fictional portrayals, such as Bill Skarsg?rd’s disturbing version of the character Pennywise in Stephen King’s “It.”
Philip Tyson, professor of psychology at the University of South Wales, has been teaching phobias for fifteen years. Every year, a consistent minority of students admit that they are terrified of clowns.
According to a recent survey, about five percent of the population is afraid, or very afraid, of clowns.
Professor Tyson and colleagues were so intrigued by the fear that they developed a study to determine where their phobia came from.
One of the “most surprising findings,” Tyson said The Washington Postwas that having a “scary personal experience with a clown does not contribute significantly to the fear.”
The research was published in the journal Frontiers in psychologyand while it is not based on a representative sample of the population, the research offers insight into why people are afraid of clowns.
An intriguing reason given by participants was that you never really know what a clown is thinking.
Their painted-on smile or frown makes it difficult to know what’s really going on in their heads.
?There’s something about not being able to read facial expressions,? Mr. Tyson explained. “And the fact that there may be something hidden and dangerous, there may also be malicious intent behind the makeup.”
Phobias often arise from characters or objects that are close to humans, but not exactly, such as aliens and robots.
Clowns are also known to behave unpredictably, such as honking or squirting water from a flower.
Mr Tyson said this introduces an element of unpredictability, which is a common cause of anxiety ? and often cited with other phobias, such as being afraid of spiders.