If you\u2019ve ever had a clown at one of your parties, you know how memorable they are for kids. They make us laugh, entertain our little ones and pull off feats of incredible dexterity.<\/p>\n
The art form of clowning goes far back. The modern clown, that performs slapstick comedy and other types of physical comedy, is derived from the \u201cred clown\u201d character of the 19th-century circus.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, they seem to have got a bad reputation over the last few years. A new character has evolved: the scary clown. Why this sudden turn in public perception of clowns? What has changed?<\/p>\n
Our brains perceive things as \u201ccreepy\u201d when there is a slight mismatch between a known pattern and a new image. At this point, our brain isn\u2019t sure if it should be afraid or not.<\/p>\n
The scientific term for this is \u201cThe Uncanny Valley Effect<\/a>\u201d. It applies to clowns as well as many other things.<\/p>\n It\u2019s explained extremely well in this video from Vsause. Don’t worry the video itself isn’t too creepy!<\/p>\n