Many people find clowns to be creepy, if not downright terrifying, but it’s not just the painted faces with giant lips that give people goosebumps. A fear of clowns is actually a real phobia with potentially detrimental mental and physical symptoms.
What is coulrophobia?
Coulrophobia is the official title for a phobia of clowns. For those with a fear of clowns, certain events that may be considered fun for many such as circuses and carnivals, may trigger anxiety. Some popular symptoms may be an increased heartbeat, nausea, shaking, sweating, and difficulty breathing.
What causes fear of clowns?
Clowns have always had a dark side. After all, these were characters who reflected a funhouse mirror back on society; academics note that their comedy was often derived from their voracious appetites for food, sex, and drink, and their manic behavior.
Their mischief began to regain its sinister tone thanks to pop culture staples like Killer Clowns from Outer Space (1988), It (the novel, miniseries, and 2017 film), and Clown (2014).
How many people are coulrophobic?
Most children aged four to 16 in a study of 250 dislike clowns. A study conducted by Chapman University revealed that approximately 7.8% of adult Americans are actually afraid of clowns, so don’t worry, no matter your age, you are not alone in your fear.
