What Causes Fear of Clowns?
There have been a variety of studies into the phenomenon of clown fear. Some evidence indicates that having the face covered in paint, thus hiding the genuine appearance and expression contributes to it. The exaggeration of many clown makeup designs so that just a few facial features are expressed or readable may be part of it. A lot of clown faces reduce the face to mostly a pair of huge eyes and an extremely large mouth, similar to what primitive man would have seen from predator animals. Some people don’t like how clowns might suddenly play tricks, not knowing whether the clown can be trusted or not. Although many consider clowns to be entertainment for children, it’s kids who often suffer the greatest share of coulrophobia. And kids who develop a fear of clowns frequently carry that fear over into adulthood undiminished in intensity.
