Why am I so scared of clowns?

Coulrophobia brings on feelings of fear when you see clowns or clown images. It's a specific phobic disorder that causes anxiety, a racing heart, nausea and profuse sweating. Most people can avoid clowns. Some need exposure therapy, a type of psychotherapy, to help manage their reactions to clowns and clown images.

What causes a fear of clowns?

Having a clinical phobia of clowns is rare, but it does exist. For most people, a fear of clowns is probably a combination of human psychology, mixed signals and pop culture. If you or someone you know experiences extreme fear and panic of something that is ultimately harmless, you may have a phobia.

Is the fear of clowns caused by childhood trauma?

It could be from a past experience, trauma, or learned behavior. For instance, a frightening encounter with a clown at a young age may cause a person to grow up with a phobia of clowns. However, learned experiences are not the only reason a person may develop a particular fear.

How do I stop being scared of clowns?

Management and Treatment

There isn't a specific coulrophobia treatment. If the phobia disrupts your quality of life, exposure therapy with a mental health professional may help. Exposure therapy is a type of psychotherapy or talk therapy. It can help as many as 9 in 10 people overcome specific phobias.

How common is fear of clowns?

An opportunist sample of 987 participants were surveyed, consisting of 790 females and 197 males, aged between 18 and 77 years (M = 29.79; SD = 11.08). Of these, 272 (27.6%) reported a fear of clowns, whilst 50 (5.1%) rated this fear as extreme.

Why Are We Afraid of Clowns?

Is fear of clowns rare?

Coulrophobia is a rare phobia that makes a person afraid of clowns, making it stressful to see, imagine, or interact with them. While many people know that it exists, most link it to small children — yet, it's also common in adults.

What are the 4 types of clowns?

Traditional types. Traditionally, there are three basic types of clowns that appear in the circus: the whiteface, the auguste and the character. Nowadays a fourth type, the tramp or hobo clown, is often recognized separately, even though, technically, it should be considered as another character clown.

What is the most common fear?

Social phobias are the most common type of fear. They are considered an anxiety disorder and include excessive self-consciousness in social situations. Some people can fear being judged so much they avoid specific situations, like eating in front of others. Up to one in 20 people have a social phobia.

Why does Johnny Depp have a fear of clowns?

He explained: "I think I am afraid of clowns because you never know whether they are in a good mood or bite your head off because of the make-up.” The actor is not alone as the fear of clowns is one of the 10 most common phobias in the world.

What is fear of death called?

Thanatophobia is an extreme fear of death or the dying process. You might be scared of your own death or the death of a loved one. Psychotherapy can help most people overcome this disorder. Appointments 866.588.2264. Request an Appointment.

What is the smallest phobia?

Trypophobia brings on feelings of disgust or fear when you see patterns with lots of holes. Sunflowers, honeycombs, sponges and seedy fruits can cause this response. Trypophobia is a type of anxiety disorder. Most people don't have a true fear of holes.

What is the darkest phobia?

Nyctophobia is an extreme fear of the dark. The name comes from the Greek word for night. Children and adults with nyctophobia may fear being alone in the dark.

What is hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?

hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (uncountable) (humorous) The fear of long words.

Who created clowns?

The now-classical features of the clown character were developed in the early 1800s by Joseph Grimaldi, who played Clown in Charles Dibdin's 1800 pantomime Peter Wilkins: or Harlequin in the Flying World at Sadler's Wells Theatre, where Grimaldi built the character up into the central figure of the harlequinade.

Who first invented clowns?

Joseph Grimaldi was an English artist who practically invented the modern clown. After him, even today, clowns are called “Joey”.

What type of gender is clown?

Jon Davison writes, “there is no female or male clown. There is just clown.” (Davison, 2011). However, I would argue that the clown can have any gender, but will not comply with the rules society imposes on any identity. Genderqueer people rebel against the gender binary rules.

Who has a phobia of clowns on 911?

He's dealt with fire, stalkers, and lava, but red noses are giving this first responder nightmares in a sneak peek from Monday's episode, "Down to Clown."

What is clown lung drag?

Clown Lung is a drag show in which all of the wigs are two-thirds of a size too small. It's the cotton candy crust on an all-American humble pie that reminds us that the real clown lung is the friends we make along the way. CREATIVE TEAM. STEVEN SAN LUIS. Playwright.

What is one of the rarest phobias?

Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth. Arachibutyrophobia is a rare phobia that involves a fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.

Do clowns have feelings?

Clowns feel and express powerful and intense emotions. They respond to events which often seem to us, normal people, trivial.

What is the 2nd longest phobia name?

2. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (36 letters) Ironically, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest work in the dictionary and is the name for a fear of long words!

Can you have 2 phobias?

Phobias can develop around any object or situation. Some people may experience multiple phobias.

What are the top 3 phobias?