Today is the spookiest day of the year, but Halloween is literally frightening for people who suffer from "coulrophobia," or a fear of clowns.
Although clowns are depicted as friendly figures of fun, they can also be fear-inducing and creepy. A 2021 survey about fears found that 8.5% of the population said they were afraid — or very afraid — of clowns.
So, why do clowns scare some while others just smile and laugh? Researchers say the fear of clowns may stem from their makeup itself.
A study published in the journal Frontiers of Psychology set out to discover the reasons people are frightened by clowns. For the study, 528 people who reported such fear completed the "Origin of Fear of Clowns Questionnaire."
The findings suggest that there are three basic reasons people find clowns scary.
First, researchers say multiple features of a clown's appearance produce a "negative experiential state and a sense of a direct threat." The quality of clowns being "near-human" is the key element which causes uneasiness, while the distortion of their facial features through makeup leaves us unable to perceive a clown's true emotions -- which doesn't sit well with some.
"This creates uncertainty as to the character's intentions; the clown's painted smile may be concealing anger and aggression and therefore be a potential threat to our safety," the study noted. "Interestingly, the two key criteria suggested above — being a distorted version of a human figure or having concealed facial emotions — link to ideas that clowns are perceived as 'creepy.'"
The study goes on to say exaggerated facial characteristics -- particularly eyes, eyebrows, teeth and lips, which are often accentuated by clown makeup -- are also associated with creepiness and therefore elicit a negative emotional response.
Secondly, researchers say the unpredictability of a clown's behavior also fuels some people's fears. Erratic behavior is among the most common mannerisms associated with creepiness, and unpredictability is a key feature in eliciting alarm, according to the study.
"Clown behavior might reasonably be considered unpredictable due to the nature of their performance where there is an emphasis on sleights of hand and magic tricks," researchers noted. "When this erratic behavior goes to extremes, it can be more than merely uncomfortable or unsettling and instead be perceived as directly threatening."
Finally, the fear of clowns could stem from past experiences. The study indicates a specific phobia may be caused by direct experience, observation (modelling) or instruction/information.
"Here, the fear may be the result of an early frightening experience, may be 'handed down' from one generation to the next or might stem from negative media portrayals of clowns in popular culture," the study noted.
Within the three broad categories, researchers identified eight plausible explanations for the origins of clown fear:
Physical appearance
1. Their ‘proto’ human image makes us uneasy (the uncanny valley effect).
2. Their exaggerated facial features convey a direct sense of threat.
3. Their makeup hides emotional signals so we cannot determine any harmful intent.
4. Their makeup reminds us of death, infection or blood injury and thus evokes a disgust or avoidance response.
Behavior
5. Their unpredictable behavior makes us feel uncomfortable.
Learning and/or experience
6. The fear is modelled the fear from family members.
7. The fear stems from negative portrayals of clowns in the media.
8. The fear originated from a frightening experience with a clown.