What Your Fears Reveal About Your Personality

Fear of clowns means you value honesty

Does the idea of Pennywise make your heart drop? Not to worry, you aren’t alone. According to an article in Scientific American, clowns are portrayed as “tricksters” whose masks give them the feeling that they can abandon typically acceptable social behavior. So it’s no surprise that coulrophobia is quite common—nearly one in 10 adults fesses up to having it. In a University of Sheffield study, 250 children aged 4 to 16 were asked how they felt about clown images. The conclusion from this study was that the children simply find them to be “frightening and unknowable.” Carlin Flora writes in Psychology Today, “Because reading facial expressions has long been a key to survival, our inability to discern a clown’s expressions (and true intentions) underneath what covers their face raises automatic suspicions.” People who are afraid of clowns tend to pride themselves on their honesty, transparency, and straightforwardness, and expect others around them to do the same. However, your no-nonsense and overly logical nature may sometimes prevent you from kicking back in social situations. Although you don’t need to do it at the circus, don’t be afraid to clown around every once in a while.

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