Why do clowns give heebie-jeebies to so many people? This study has the answer

Do clowns make you chuckle with their antics or send a shiver down your spine? If it is the latter and these entertainers frighten you, then you should know that this is not a rare phenomenon. While Pennywise , the hair-raising clown from Stephen King’s 1986 novel It, petrified most of us, there are some people who can also be afraid of Cameron Tucker’s ‘Fizbo the Clown’ in the hit American sitcom Modern Family. Those aware of the comedy show know Fizbo is not scary. So, why do some people fear clowns, even when they are amiable and not meant to frighten?Well, science has the answer. What is clown phobia? The fear or phobia of clowns is called coulrophobia. This affects children as well as adults who may have “extreme, irrational reactions” when they see a clown – personally or virtually, says Cleveland Clinic.

People who already have an anxiety disorder or other phobias are more prone to develop coulrophobia.

Those with a fear of clowns try to avoid them. Other signs of coulrophobia include shaking, fast breathing and heart rate, a feeling of terror, heavy sweating and nausea, as per Cleveland Clinic. Study on coulrophobia A study was conducted by researchers at the University of Wales in the United Kingdom to find out how common this fear of clowns is in adults and how severe it is, noted The Conversation. For this, they created ‘The Fear of Clowns Questionnaire’ which was filled by 987 people between the ages of 18 and 77 across Africa, Europe, Australia, North and South America. The Guardian noted that the respondents were asked to rank statements on the basis of the intensity of feelings. These remarks consisted of: “I think a lot about clowns”; “Clowns are one of my worst fears”; and “If I came across a clown, I would leave the room”. [caption id=“attachment_12266412” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Coulrophobia affects children as well as adults who may have ’extreme, irrational reactions’ when they see a clown. Reuters (Representational Image)[/caption] The study discovered that 53.5 per cent of those surveyed said they were scared of clowns to some extent, with 5 per cent saying they were “extremely afraid”. According to The Conversation, this “extreme” fear of clowns is marginally more than other phobias such as animals, blood/injection/injuries, heights, and so on.

While the reason for this is unclear, the researchers also found that clowns strike more fear in women than men.

Moreover, coulrophobia decreases with age, says the research published in the International Journal of Mental Health. It further claimed that the degree of coulrophobia was highest in Asian participants and least in those from Europe, reported Daily Mail. Many previous studies have shown that people do not have a fear of clowns when they are born, but develop it as time passes. It has affected children as young as three years old, noted Cleveland Clinic. Reasons behind coulrophobia The researchers gave another questionnaire to 53.5 per cent of the respondents who reported some level of fear of clowns to investigate the causes behind the feeling. The explanation for this fear was divided into eight points. As per The Conversation, these included: the “not-quite-human” makeup of clowns; their facial features exhibiting a “direct sense of threat”; the colourful clown makeup that conceals their expression thus triggering uncertainty; clown makeup reminding of “death, infection or blood injury”, and evoking “disgust or avoidance”; their unpredictable behaviour creating uncomfortableness; the fear of clowns learnt from family; negative portrayals of clowns in popular culture; and a personal scary experience with a clown. “Intriguingly, we found the final explanation, of having had a scary personal experience with a clown, had the lowest level of agreement. This indicates that life experience alone is not a sufficient explanation for why people are afraid of them,” the researchers wrote in The Conversation. [caption id=“attachment_12266422” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People develop coulrophobia as they grow up but the older they get, the fear decreases. Reuters (Representational Image)[/caption] They also said that the scary portrayal of clowns in popular culture sparked more fear in people. The strongest reason, as per the researchers, was concealed emotional signals due to the makeup, which meant not being able to see their facial expressions which led to higher fear of clowns. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.