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Fear Of Clowns Questionnaire

Are clowns your secret nemesis? Take this test and unveil the mysteries of 'coulrophobia.'

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

December 21, 2023

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns. It can cause intense anxiety or discomfort when an individual encounters a clown, or even just the idea or image of them. This fear is often present in children as well as adults in varying degrees.

The presence of clowns in various cultural contexts and entertainment spheres prompts an exploration into the extent of coulrophobia's influence on individuals. The Fear Of Clowns Questionnaire is an important tool for evaluating and measuring an individual's level of coulrophobia.

Based on extensive psychological research, this questionnaire assesses the impact of interacting with clowns in any way on one's behavior, cognition, threat detection and emotional responsiveness, providing useful insight into the reasons behind one's fears as well as cues for helpful, targeted interventions for treating coulrophobia.

You can take this test here. Please follow all of the steps to receive your results.

References: Tyson, P. J., Davies, S. K., Scorey, S., & Greville, W. J. (2023) Fear of clowns: An investigation into the prevalence of coulrophobia in an international sample. International Journal of Mental Health, (52)1. 84-99, doi:10.1080/00207411.2022.2046925

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. If I came across an image of a clown, I would turn my head away.

2. I am sometimes on the lookout for clowns.

3. If I saw a clown, I would worry it might harm me.

4. I think a lot about clowns.

5. I would be somewhat afraid to go to a place where I have seen a clown before.

6. I would do anything to try to avoid a clown.

7. I sometimes think about a clown trying to hurt me.

8. If I encountered a clown unexpectedly, this would cause me distress.

9. If I encountered a clown, it would take me a long time to get it out of my mind.

10. If I came across a clown, I would leave the room.

11. If I saw a clown, I would think it will try to chase me.

12. If I saw a clown, I would turn to someone else for comfort.

13. If I encountered a clown, I would have images of it trying to get me.

14. If I saw a clown, I would be afraid of it.

15. If I saw a clown, I would feel very panicky.

16. Clowns are one of my worst fears.

17. I would feel nervous if I saw a clown.

18. If I saw a clown, I would probably break out in a sweat and my heart would beat faster.

0 of 0 questions answered

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.