Fear of clowns or coulrophobia is a little understood phenomenon despite studies indicating that it has a known prevalence in the general population. Besides, there have been no previous investigations into the aetiology of this fear, although several plausible hypotheses from the wider literature can be generated; the fear stems from media portrayals of scary clowns, from the unusual physical appearance or the unpredictable behaviour displayed, or it derives from an unpleasant personal experience.
And so, Philip John Tyson, an Associate Professor of psychology at UK's University of South Wales, together with colleagues Shakiela Davies, Sophie Scorey, and William James Greville undertook research that reviewed the literature in this area and also piloted a new questionnaire (Origin of Fear of Clowns Questionnaire; OFCQ) to explore the causes of the fear of clowns in a sample of 528 participants who reported such a fear.
One of the most surprising findings is that for many people, having a "scary personal experience with a clown wasn't a main contributor to the fear", Tyson said. Instead, people said they were creeped out by clowns because:
You can never really know what a clown is thinking. It can be difficult to know what's really going on in the mind of a clown with a painted on smile or frown. "There's something about not being able to read facial expressions", Tyson said. "And the fact that there might be something hidden and dangerous, there might be harmful intent behind the makeup".
Clowns are unpredictable. Clowns make some people laugh, but they often behave in unpredictable and startling ways that normal people never would (such as squirting water from a flower or honking a horn). People who are scared of spiders say something similar, worrying the spider will jump on them unexpectedly, Tyson said.
A clown's exaggerated features are disturbing. The big red nose, the egg head, the puffs of neon-colored hair. People seem to be scared of beings that look nearly human but not exactly, in the same way some people find baby dolls, aliens or robots disturbing.
Movie clowns are terrifying. Many of those surveyed also said their fear is due, in part, to movies starring scary clowns, such as Joaquin Phoenix in "Joker" and/or Pennywise, the demonic clown in Stephen King's "It".
Their research titled "Fear of clowns: An investigation into the aetiology of coulrophobia", can be found in Frontiers of Psychology, published online, February 02, 2023; doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1109466.
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