--- title: Psychology of Why Clowns Creep Us Out description: For the past several months, creepy clowns have been terrorizing America, with sightings of actual clowns in at least 10 different states. canonical: https://time.com/4513100/psychology-of-creepy-clowns/ author: The Conversation article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-29T16:04:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T18:30:13.000Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Psychology Behind Why Clowns Creep Us Out og:description: Their makeup and clothes may have something to do with it og:url: https://time.com/4513100/psychology-of-creepy-clowns/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb064ac2712c53d8a/6988a809ab6d771e226ab666/psychology-creepy-clowns.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6000 og:image:height: 3375 og:image:alt: evil clown in a dark forest in a white veil og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Psychology Behind Why Clowns Creep Us Out twitter:description: Their makeup and clothes may have something to do with it twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb064ac2712c53d8a/6988a809ab6d771e226ab666/psychology-creepy-clowns.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Psychology Behind Why Clowns Creep Us Out > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=9c981333-204f-41a0-a76c-2e86e079c9b1&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=9c981333-204f-41a0-a76c-2e86e079c9b1&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=9c981333-204f-41a0-a76c-2e86e079c9b1&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Frank T. McAndrew, Knox College / The Conversation](https://time.com/author/the-conversation/) ## Frank T. McAndrew, Knox College / The Conversation Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:30 PM UTCPublished: Sep 29, 2016 4:04 PM UTC  A 2008 study found few children actually like clowns. A 2008 study found few children actually like clowns. kobzev3179—Getty Images/iStockphoto by [Frank T. McAndrew, Knox College / The Conversation](https://time.com/author/the-conversation/) ## Frank T. McAndrew, Knox College / The Conversation Updated: Dec 13, 2023 6:30 PM UTCPublished: Sep 29, 2016 4:04 PM UTC Hollywood [has](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095444/?ref%5F=nv%5Fsr%5F1) [long](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/?ref%5F=nv%5Fsr%5F1) [exploited](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2900624/?ref%5F=fn%5Fal%5Ftt%5F4) our deep ambivalence about clowns, and this fall’s film lineup is no different. Stephen King’s evil clown, [Pennywise](https://ramirezmedia.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/wpid-clown-pennywise.jpg?quality=85), will make his second screen appearance in two years in “[It Chapter Two](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7349950/?ref%5F=nv%5Fsr%5F1?ref%5F=nv%5Fsr%5F1),” while Batman’s demented nemesis The Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix, will appear as the antihero of his origin story, “[Joker](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7286456/?ref%5F=nv%5Fsr%5F1?ref%5F=nv%5Fsr%5F1).” How did a mainstay of children’s birthday parties start to become an embodiment of pure evil? In fact, [a 2008 study conducted in England](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7189401.stm) revealed that very few children actually like clowns. It also concluded that the common practice of decorating children’s wards in hospitals with pictures of clowns may create the exact opposite of a nurturing environment. It’s no wonder [so many people hate Ronald McDonald](http://hotair.com/archives/2011/05/20/mcdonalds-ceo-to-food-police-the-clowns-going-nowhere/). But as a psychologist, I’m not just interested in pointing out that clowns give us the creeps; I’m also interested in why we find them so disturbing. In 2016, I published a study entitled “[On the Nature of Creepiness](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0732118X16300320)” with one of my students, Sara Koehnke, in the journal [New Ideas in Psychology](http://www.journals.elsevier.com/new-ideas-in-psychology). While the study was not specifically looking at the creepiness of clowns, much of what we discovered can help explain this intriguing phenomenon. ## The march of the clowns [Clown-like characters](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-and-psychology-of-clowns-being-scary-20394516/?no-ist) have been around for thousands of years. Historically, jesters and clowns have been a vehicle for satire and for poking fun at powerful people. They provided a safety valve for letting off steam and they were granted unique freedom of expression – as long as their value as entertainers outweighed the discomfort they caused the higher-ups. Jesters and others persons of ridicule go back at least to ancient Egypt, and the English word “clown” first appeared sometime in the 1500s, when Shakespeare used the term to describe foolish characters in several of his plays. The now familiar circus clown – with its painted face, wig and oversized clothing – arose in the 19th century and has changed only slightly over the past 150 years. Nor is the trope of the evil clown anything new. In 2016, writer [Benjamin Radford](http://benjaminradford.com/) published “[Bad Clowns](https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Clowns-Benjamin-Radford/dp/0826356664),” in which he traces the historical evolution of clowns into unpredictable, menacing creatures. Then, for several months in 2016, [creepy clowns terrorized America](http://www.vocativ.com/356953/creepy-clown-sightings/).The persona of the creepy clown really came into its own after serial killer [John Wayne Gacy](http://www.biography.com/people/john-wayne-gacy-10367544) was captured. In the 1970s, Gacy appeared at children’s birthday parties as “Pogo the Clown” and also regularly painted pictures of clowns. When the authorities discovered that he had killed at least 33 people, burying most of them in the crawl space of his suburban Chicago home, the connection between clowns and dangerous psychopathic behavior became forever fixed in the collective unconscious of Americans. Reports emerged from at least 10 different states. In Florida, [fiendish clowns were spotted lurking by the side of the road](http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/gone-viral/sfl-creepy-clowns-lurk-around-florida-as-part-of-dangerous-nationwide-trend-20160927-htmlstory.html). In South Carolina, clowns were reportedly trying to [lure women and children into the woods](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/31/us/creepy-clown-sightings-in-south-carolina-cause-a-frenzy.html?%5Fr=0). It isn’t clear which of these incidents were tales of clowning around and which were truly menacing abduction attempts. Nonetheless, the perpetrators seem to be tapping into the primal dread that so many children – and more than a few adults – experience in the presence of clowns. ## The nature of creepiness Psychology can help explain why clowns – the supposed purveyors of jokes and pranks – often end up sending chills down our spines. [My research](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0732118X16300320) was the first empirical study of creepiness, and I had a hunch that feeling creeped out might have something to do with ambiguity – about not really being sure how to react to a person or situation. We recruited 1,341 volunteers ranging in age from 18 to 77 to fill out an online survey. In the first section of the survey, our participants rated the likelihood that a hypothetical “creepy person” would exhibit 44 different behaviors, such as unusual patterns of eye contact or physical characteristics like visible tattoos. In the second section of the survey, participants rated the creepiness of 21 different occupations, and in the third section they simply listed two hobbies that they thought were creepy. In the final section, participants noted how much they agreed with 15 statements about the nature of creepy people. [The results](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/out-the-ooze/201505/how-we-decide-whos-creepy) indicated that people we perceive as creepy are much more likely to be males than females, that unpredictability is an important component of creepiness and that unusual patterns of eye contact and other nonverbal behaviors set off our creepiness detectors big time. Unusual or strange physical characteristics such as bulging eyes, a peculiar smile or inordinately long fingers did not, in and of themselves, cause us to perceive someone as creepy. But the presence of weird physical traits can amplify any other creepy tendencies that the person might be exhibiting, such as persistently steering conversations toward peculiar sexual topics or failing to understand the policy about bringing reptiles into the office. When we asked people to rate the creepiness of different occupations, the one that rose to the top of the creep list was – you guessed it – clowns. The results were consistent with my theory that getting “creeped out” is a response to the ambiguity of threat and that it is only when we are confronted with uncertainty about threat that we get the chills. For example, it would be considered rude and strange to run away in the middle of a conversation with someone who is sending out a creepy vibe but is actually harmless; at the same time, it could be perilous to ignore your intuition and engage with that individual if he is, in fact, a threat. The ambivalence leaves you frozen in place, wallowing in discomfort. This reaction could be adaptive, something humans have evolved to feel, with being “creeped out” a way to maintain vigilance during a situation that could be dangerous. ## Why clowns set off our creep alert In light of our study’s results, it is not at all surprising that we find them to be creepy. [Rami Nader](http://www.raminader.com/) 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. 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 on 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 red nose, the makeup, the odd clothing – only magnify the uncertainty of what the clown might do next. There are certainly other types of people who creep us out; taxidermists and undertakers made a good showing on the creepy occupation spectrum. But they have their work cut out for them if they aspire to the level of creepiness that we automatically attribute to clowns. In other words, they have big shoes to fill. _This is an updated version of an article originally published on Sep. 28, 2016_. [Frank T. McAndrew](https://theconversation.com/profiles/frank-t-mcandrew-194161), Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, [_Knox College_](http://theconversation.com/institutions/knox-college-2259) This article is republished from [The Conversation](http://theconversation.com) under a Creative Commons license. Read the [original article](https://theconversation.com/the-psychology-behind-why-clowns-creep-us-out-65936). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4513100/psychology-of-creepy-clowns/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4513100/psychology-of-creepy-clowns/"},"headline":"The Psychology Behind Why Clowns Creep Us Out","datePublished":"2016-09-29T16:04:24.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T18:30:13.000Z","description":"Their makeup and clothes may have something to do with it","url":"https://time.com/4513100/psychology-of-creepy-clowns/","keywords":["Psychology","syndication"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb064ac2712c53d8a/6988a809ab6d771e226ab666/psychology-creepy-clowns.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Frank T. McAndrew, Knox College / The Conversation"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb064ac2712c53d8a/6988a809ab6d771e226ab666/psychology-creepy-clowns.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"evil clown in a dark forest in a white veil","caption":"evil clown in a dark forest in a white veil","creditText":"kobzev3179—Getty Images/iStockphoto","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4513100/psychology-of-creepy-clowns/","name":"The Psychology Behind Why Clowns Creep Us Out"}}]}] ```