Why People are Scared of Clowns

Ashley Montague, Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered why people are scared of clowns so much? Well, I am here to give you your answer. There have been many people that say it is just their creepy painted smiles, while others say it is their noses. Well, there is actually a proven answer from scientists.

Rami Nader is a Canadian Psychologist who studies coulrophobia, the irrational fear of clowns. Nader believes that clown phobias are fueled by the fact that clowns wear makeup and disguises that hide their true identities and feelings

Rami said “This is perfectly consistent with my hypothesis that it is the inherent ambiguity surrounding clowns that make them creepy. They seem to be happy, but are they really? And they’re mischievous, which puts people constantly and guard. People interacting with a clown during one of his routines never know if they are about to get a pie in the face or be the victim of some other humiliating prank. The highly unusual physical characteristics of the clown (the wig, the big red nose, the makeup etc.) only magnify the uncertainty of what the clown might do next.”