TOP 20 Psychological Reasons Why People Are Afraid Of Clowns AND More Reasons To Hate Clowns!!!

Many people suffer from true coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Even without a full-blown phobia, everyone seems to agree that clowns are just a little bit scary. But have you wondered why? Correspondingly, a clown is simply a person wearing makeup and silly clothes, and yet they still tend to give just about everyone the creeps! Professional clowns are great. Nonetheless those who pretend or stray outside of the circus can sow fear. Here are TOP 20 Psychological Reasons Why People Are Afraid Of Clowns AND More Reasons To Hate Clowns!!!

*The Painted Smile* - There is something unnatural about the fact that clowns are always smiling. We are logically aware that this red, painted smile is fake. Yet it makes it more difficult to tell when the person wearing the makeup is showing actual emotion. This fake smile makes most people feel uncomfortable. As social creatures, we read each other’s emotional cues to interact with one another, to become friends, or even just to make small talk. Imagine trying to talk to a normal person who never stopped smiling, even for a moment. In Psychology Today, Dr. Jordan Gaines Lewis wrote that a clown’s painted-on smile limits the emotions that we can interpret from its face. Clowns also ask us to smile back, and we might not actually feel like laughing or smiling at that very second. Even in the best scenario, we may feel awkward or annoyed by a clown. If there is a real fear there, however, this pressure can add to the terror.

*They’re Unpredictable And Untrustworthy* - Clowns are zany and crazy, and part of their comedy is that you’re never sure what they will do next. They could pile 20 of their friends into one tiny car, spray you with water from a flower on their shirt, or throw a pie in your face. Part of a clown’s identity is doing over-the-top things that would not typically be considered normal behavior. People thrive when they can stick to a daily routine and often suffer mental stress and anxiety when their lives are unpredictable, unstable, or unsafe. So it only makes sense that interacting with a clown can be frightening. According to an article in Scientific American, clowns are “tricksters” whose masks give them the feeling that they can abandon typically acceptable social behavior. We are never sure what they are going to do because, by definition, clowns are trying to push the limits of what other people will tolerate before they snap.

*Fear Of The Unknown*- They decided to poll 250 children aged 4 to 16 who were staying in the hospital to find out how they felt about these images of clowns. The results of her study showed that the clowns gave the vast majority of these kids the creeps, even the ones who were too young to have ever seen any horror movies with clowns. The conclusion from this study is that the children simply find them to be “frightening and unknowable.” Looking at a painting of a clown is not the same as looking at a picture of a kitten, for example. Children and adults alike can see an image of a kitten, and they automatically have an understanding of what a kitten is. The image of a clown shows an abstract creature that is difficult to categorize, almost like looking at an image of an alien, except we know that clowns are real.

*They Are Creepy And Hard To Sympathize With*- When clowns have makeup on, they typically stay in character at all times. With regular actors, the public is accustomed to understanding a general idea about their career. We also understand that there is a difference between the person we see on the cover of magazines and the “behind-the-scenes” clips versus the characters they play on TV or in movies. It is easy for us to understand that acting is a job, but it is very difficult to comprehend the motivations behind wanting to perform as a clown as a career choice. So you wallow in a sense of discomfort and unease while being around this person because you are ignoring your natural instincts to run away due to politeness. When McAndrew polled people on their opinions of every occupation that exists, clowns were considered to be the most creepy—even more than funeral directors and taxidermists.

*Mass Hysteria*- In 2016, the “killer clown” phenomenon began, with more and more video footage and reports of creepy clowns doing strange and unsettling things in cities around the world. Time called it “clown hysteria.” While the majority of these clowns were simply loitering and trying to play a prank, they were all suspected of criminal intent. Many people were up in arms, trying to protect their loved ones from potential clown attacks. There were even nine clown-related arrests in Alabama. Juveniles who dressed as creepy clowns as a prank during school hours were accused of making “terroristic threats” because they were interrupting classes and scaring students with coulrophobia. In an article by Erika Engelhaupt in National Geographic, social media is blamed for the mass clown hysteria. With the ease of sharing information instantly and the way viral videos spread, it gives the appearance of a phenomenon happening more frequently than it actually does.

*Popular Culture*- Human beings have two types of fear: innate fear and learned fear. An example of an innate fear would be the fear of heights. Many of us experience overwhelming fear when standing on the edge of a cliff or visiting a tall building. Fear is a normal part of our survival instincts. "A perfect example of the learned fear that clowns may have murderous intent would be John Wayne Gacy. He was a serial killer who dressed up like a clown in his spare time. His story was fuel for nightmares, inspiring coulrophobia in people who may not have had it before." In popular culture, this fear of clowns is not new, however. Joseph Grimaldi, one of the original famous clowns, died of alcoholism. Charles Dickens was in charge of editing Grimaldi’s memoirs and painted a dark picture of Grimaldi. Dickens included this Grimaldi quote in the book: “I am grim all day, and yet I make you laugh all night.”

*Childhood Trauma *- Once the psychologist brings a clown to the office, the terrified woman can barely keep it together. In an article from Psychology Today, one woman recounts the traumatic experience of becoming a volunteer on the Bozo the Clown TV show when she was a child in the 1960s. She was forced to sit on his lap and see up close that he was frowning despite his painted smile. He also smelled like alcohol. The illusion of the happy clown was shattered, and the experience has traumatized her ever since. It is likely that many other people with a serious case of coulrophobia had similar traumatic experiences at a circus or birthday party that led to their fear of clowns.

*Inferiority And Superiority Complexes* - Throughout history, part of a clown’s purpose was to help with the spectator’s self-esteem. Court jesters (aka “fools”) were meant to be laughed at for being so stupid, and clowns are often the same. In a study by the Theodora Foundation, the researchers traveled with clowns to pediatric hospitals in Ontario, Canada. In their findings, the researchers mentioned that children may feel better about themselves if they can laugh at someone else for being silly or stupid. This gives terminally ill children a desperately needed ego boost. However, this type of humor may not be the best for the average person. According to Psychology Today, people who act superior toward others are actually very insecure and are seeking reassurance from others to feel good about themselves. According to Greater Good, a University of California, Berkeley, publication, happy people do not feel the need to be superior to others. In short, the average person with a fair amount of happiness and self-esteem does not seek to laugh at someone like a clown. Since many people do not want or need that kind of laughter in their lives, it feels uncomfortable to be around a clown who is trying to force it upon you.

*They Just Aren’t Funny Anymore*- Throughout time, popular comedy has changed depending on current events and a natural evolution of cultural taste. For example; if we see a clown falling on a banana peel or hitting their friend over the head with a giant hammer, this would be an example of physical, or “slapstick,” comedy. However, slapstick has not been popular for some time because society has too much sympathy for the pain of other human beings. Our discomfort with clowns could partially be attributed to cultural changes in what we find funny. In an interview with NPR, Linda Rodriguez McRobbie mentions that people were wary of clowns for years. Then, in the 1960s, clowns had a sudden rise in popularity with characters like Ronald McDonald and Bozo the Clown. McRobbie believes that their popularity was simply a fad and that society is back to its normal state, which is to see clowns as creepy rather than funny. Children and adults alike may become confused and uncomfortable when they are expected to laugh at something they simply do not find to be funny. It is common for people, especially children, to feel social anxiety and fear in situations where they are not sure how to react.

*Freud’s Uncanny Theory*- In this 1919 publication “The Uncanny,” the world-famous psychologist Sigmund Freud explains that we can be frightened by something that is familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. Using the hypothetical example of a human being with a severed head or limbs, Freud says that we will immediately focus on the body parts that are different instead of the ones that are still intact. A real-life example is how many children are frightened when they see an amputee because they cannot understand why the person’s legs are gone. It also makes many adults feel sad or uncomfortable for a variety of reasons. However, a clown’s body parts are enlarged or exaggerated—giant shoes, abnormally large lips painted on a white face, and a huge, red nose. Just like the example with the amputee, people notice the differences in other human beings much more easily than the similarities and that can cause fear and discomfort.

*They Really Lurk In The Woods*- Reports started pouring in; civilians across several states insisted that clowns were trying to lure children into the woods. Photos appeared on Facebook showing the scary criminals leaning out behind trees or blatantly standing out in the open. Undoubtedly, most of the stories and photos were fake. This was probably behind the zero-tolerance response to false claims and related actions. Among those arrested was an 11-year-old girl. She had brought a knife to school because she was afraid the clowns were going to get her. Some of the stories were not fake at all. Residents from Middlesboro, in Kentucky, reported a clown traipsing in the woods. The police took the multiple sightings seriously and indeed, they nailed the creature when he started lurking behind trees near a building complex during the early hours of the morning. Once unmasked, the 20-year-old Jonathan Martin was charged with violating a city law stating that nobody is allowed to wear facial concealment and cause public alarm. He posed for his mug shot in his clown suit.

*Clown Pranks Are Expensive And Deadly*- When the 2016 American clown scare reached the United Kingdom, it was not pretty. Apart from the usual paranoid sightings, real incidents scared the pants off the public. In Gloucester, six separate incidents saw somebody being followed by a knife-carrying clown. A group of schoolchildren walking in County Durham was traumatized when a clown jumped at them wielding a blade. Several clowns chased a boy in Suffolk. The police treat all clown-related reports as a grade one emergency, meaning officers must respond to every sighting and incident. The growing number of clown pranks is not just scaring the public who is already on edge from sex offenders, muggers, and violent criminals. Visiting each scene could cost lives. Somebody in real danger could die because the police are elsewhere searching for a clown. Needless to say, clown-hunting also wastes the department’s fuel, time and resources.

*Clown Makeup Defies Facial Recognition Systems*- Insane Clown Posse is a band with die-hard fans. They call themselves Juggalo and paint their faces like clowns. To be fair, nobody is running around with rainbow curls and red noses. Think more along the lines of goth-looking entertainers. Indeed, a Juggalo’s face paint is done in a certain way—and that is a problem for facial recognition systems. Besides following innocent people and invading privacy, facial recognition systems are saving lives. They catch terrorists before they can detonate bombs. They find children tagged with an Amber Alert. In this sense, criminals can exploit the software’s weakness by using clown makeup to conceal their identity.

*They Infiltrated The Police*- By day, Karina Salgado is a police officer in Chicago. But on a dark Halloween night in 2019, she turned into a clown. An intoxicated one. The off-duty cop decided to visit another alcoholic establishment and meandered up to a Lakeview East bar. That was when the trouble started. The staff was not chuffed with the idea of allowing a tipsy clown inside. When told that she was not allowed to enter, the 30-year-old became so disruptive that the police were called. They arrived at 1:20 in the morning to find their colleague in full uniform—and not the blue kind—still demanding to be let inside the bar. When the cops tried to reason with Salgado, she took a drunken swing at one of them. Unfortunately for her, the slap connected. After hitting her fellow crime-fighter in the face, she was arrested for battery, criminal trespass and obstructing an officer. After an internal investigation, Salgado was reassigned to a desk job, dealing with the public over the phone and, for obvious reasons, not in person.

*They Infiltrate Our Beds*- Imagine coming home and there is a clown in your bed. Not a clown doll that you left there but a living person. This person is not your husband, wife or another family member. Just a freaking clown sleeping in your bed. This was the scenario that shocked the socks off a teenager in 2017. The unnamed teenager arrived home in Marlboro, in Vermont. He was spooked to find a clown passed out in an upstairs bedroom. He called 911 and explained the situation. The police had no difficulty arresting the clown, which turned out to be 43-year-old Sean Barber. Apart from having broken into the home and taking a fancy to one of the family’s beds, the clown was also intoxicated. In an even better example to kids everywhere who love clowns, the police found cocaine in his colorful suit. Barber was allowed to dry out in a correctional facility before being charged with drug possession and trespassing.

*They Cause Mass Brawls*- The violence was fueled by alcohol and one man’s unhappiness at seeing a clown. Apparently, he had specifically paid for a cruise that did not allow fancy dress. The situation escalated quickly and groups attacked each other. When the ship docked, the Hampshire police were waiting with handcuffs. When the cruise ship Britannia left to visit Norway’s fjords, the plan was to provide a lot of fun for the holidaymakers. Instead, what they got was an aggressive clown at the buffet table. He was also a passenger and whilst suited up in clown gear, triggered trouble at two in the morning inside one of the ship’s restaurants.

*They Lead Police On Slow-Speed Chases*- Everybody secretly loves watching a real high-speed chase on the news. Trust clowns to mess that up. In 2019, a man wearing a wig and mask led authorities on a slow chase through Los Angeles for nearly 56 kilometers (35 miles). The authorities were alerted to a clown behaving recklessly and soon they were on his tail. While his accomplice drove (perhaps we should blame her), the clown stood up through the sunroof. There were moments when he actually sat with his feet on the roof of the black sedan, no doubt alarming the police behind him. The officers followed the speed-limit-minding pair while suffering the indignity of being shown gestures that some interpreted as mocking. You know, the clown shrugged at the cops, like “Sigh. Things like this happen, what can you do?”

*Clowns On The Run*- In 1990, Marlene Warren made the mistake of opening her front door. Inherently, there was no real reason to be cautious. She lived in a small Florida community without a festering criminal element. And standing at her door was a fun-looking clown holding balloons. One balloon showed the image of Snow White and the other proclaimed “You’re The Greatest!” The problem was a lack of evidence. In 2017, however, DNA traces were sufficient to arrest Keen. Officials could not prove that the victim’s husband was involved in her murder but there was plenty of motive. Marlene’s life insurance was a King’s ransom and her death gave him sole rights to valuable property. By this time, Michael Warren was already in prison for an unrelated offense, but he appeared to have had an affair with the killer clown who then took matters into her own hands, murdering Marlene to enrich Warren as a wealthy future hubby.

*Support Clowns Are Here*- Individuals with anxiety problems sometimes find comfort in support animals. The movement is gaining worldwide recognition for its positive benefits and also for the often weird choice of constant companion (think peacocks and miniature horses). One man took strange support animals to a whole new level. Some managers have a hard enough time laying a person off to their face. In 2019, a New Zealand man made the difficult moment even more awkward. Knowing that his company was canning most of the staff, including himself, he brought his support clown to help him through the rough meeting.

*The Mother’s Day Killer*- As far as clown dreams go, Kevin Lapeire had it all. He was a star in the reality TV show “Belgium’s Got Talent.” The 31-year-old also won awards as the best clown in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. He kindly entertained sick kids in hospitals as “Doctor Aspirin.” On that fateful day in 2018, the two men took the children hostage in their home. Aged between 12 and 17, they were terrorized for hours before being forced to watch Lapeire and Haegeman stab their mother to death. The yodeling clown was arrested without fanfare, but Lapeire was a different fish. He shot at police from a building’s rooftop, threw gas canisters and pretended to surrendered several times before he finally did.

SIDE NOTE! I hope this made you feel at ease while reading this! I was having a full on panic mode but after all I got it done and it helped me out maybe like 0,1 percent but still it's better than nothing.