Coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns, is a widely acknowledged phenomenon. Studies indicate this fear is present among both adults and children in many different cultures.
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.
Coulrophobia is no laughing matter. This irrational fear of clowns can cause panic and nausea. Although it's a rare phobia, many people find clowns creepy if not downright scary.
Understanding the phobia can help you overcome it and live a fulfilling life. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest words in the dictionary, and ironically, it means the fear of long words. It originally was referred to as Sesquipedalophobia but was changed at some point to sound more intimidating.
While only five per cent of the respondents said they were "extremely afraid" of clowns, more than 50 per cent said they were afraid to some extent. The study also found this extreme fear was higher among people with other types of phobias including animals, blood, heights and flying.
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.
Clowns' exaggerated facial features convey a direct sense of threat. Clown makeup hides emotional signals and creates uncertainty. The colour of clown makeup reminds us of death, infection or blood injury, and evokes disgust or avoidance. Clowns' unpredictable behaviour makes us uncomfortable.
Anatidaephobia is commonly understood as the fear that somewhere out there in the world, at any time, a duck may be watching you. Those who experience this fear are not necessarily worried that the duck may approach or attack them, but rather are afraid of being watched or tracked as they go about their business.
What is trypophobia? Trypophobia (trip-uh-FOE-bee-uh) is an aversion or repulsion to objects like honeycombs and sponges that have repetitive patterns or clusters of small holes. People with trypophobia are disgusted by the pattern of holes.
2. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (36 letters)
As its name implies, those experiencing nyctophobia are afraid of the dark. It's a widespread phobia, especially in children. Up to 45% of children experience phobia, and nyctophobia is one of the most common, particularly in children between 6 and 12. Many children outgrow nyctophobia, but some don't.
Dickens' Grimaldi (and perhaps the real one too) was a man who transformed himself into a clown because of his psychological constipation. He was a bifurcated personality apt to “chalking over the seams which mental agony had worn in his face.” The Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi is a trauma narrative.
Fear of clowns
Celebrities who have been upfront about suffering from clown phobia include rapper-singer Sean (P. Diddy) Combs, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and heartthrob Johnny Depp.
A phobia is an irrational fear of an object, situation or living thing. While fear is a natural response to danger, phobias often occur in response to something unlikely to cause real harm.
Bathmophobia is a fear of stairs. You may be afraid of falling down a set of stairs or a steep incline. A traumatic accident involving a fall, injury or death may cause this specific phobic disorder.
Scopophobia is an excessive fear of being watched. People with scopophobia find social interactions extremely stressful because they think people are judging them. Some people avoid socializing altogether. The phobia can stop them enjoying everyday activities or impact their work or school life.
Simple phobias
Some common examples include: dogs. spiders. snakes.
Philophobia — a fear of love — can negatively affect your ability to have meaningful relationships. A painful breakup, divorce, abandonment or rejection during childhood or adulthood may make you afraid to fall in love. Psychotherapy (talk therapy) can help you overcome this specific phobic disorder.
Aibohphobia is the (unofficial) fear of palindromes, which are words that read the same front and back and, you guessed it, the word itself is a palindrome. There's also dodecaphobia, which is the (again, unofficial) fear of the number 12 - can you see how many letters make up that one?
What is ophidiophobia? Ophidiophobia is an extreme, overwhelming fear of snakes. The condition is called a specific phobia (fear), which is a type of anxiety disorder. Ophidiophobia may be associated with herpetophobia, which is fear of all reptiles. Many people are somewhat fearful of snakes.
Children and adults with nyctophobia may fear being alone in the dark. They may have anxiety in dark places, and they may have trouble sleeping in a darkened room. Providers sometimes call fear of the dark scotophobia (fear of darkness) or lygophobia.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Aerophobia is an extreme fear of flying. People with aerophobia might feel intense anxiety before or during a flight. This condition can interfere with your ability to travel for work or pleasure. If aerophobia is affecting your quality of life, talk to your healthcare provider.
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.