Why Are We Afraid Of Clowns!!

Creepy clowns have been jumping out of bushes in Newcastle and scaring schoolchildren. This scenario, inspired by similar incidents in the US, would scare most people. 

But for many, it's not just the abrupt nature of a sudden clown emerging covertly from darkened shrubbery. Many of us have a fear of clowns in general. 

There's something about clowns – in a very weird way, you can't trust them but they draw you in. And the main reason is this, explained by Dr. Scholzman:

"Clowns, by definition, are supposed to make you laugh, but in the background is the fear that they won’t, and all of us have that in the back of our mind: the fear that you won’t actually be able to do the very thing that you’re designed to do." Schlozman also explains that in the Middle Ages, if jesters failed to make the king or queen laugh, they'd be "mutilated" to make them smile all the time.