5. 文化流行趋势变化
Human beings have two types of fear: innate fear and learned fear. An example of an innate fear would be the fear of heights. Many of us experience overwhelming fear when standing on the edge of a cliff or visiting a tall building. Fear is a normal part of our survival instincts.
人类的恐惧可以分为两种，一种是先天性恐惧，一种是习得性恐惧。恐高就是一种先天性恐惧——很多人站在悬崖边上或者站在很高的建筑物上时会感到一种难以克服的恐惧。在某种程度上来说，恐惧是人类的生存本能。
A perfect example of the learned fear that clowns may have murderous intent would be John Wayne Gacy. He was a serial killer who dressed up like a clown in his spare time. His story was fuel for nightmares, inspiring coulrophobia in people who may not have had it before.
而对于小丑的习得性恐惧（比如认为小丑有谋杀倾向）也许来源于约翰·维恩·加西——在空余时间扮成小丑的一个连环杀手。他的故事引发了严重的后果——当时对小丑的恐惧达到了空前的程度。
In the years following his crimes, clowns became major characters in horror movies. Watching Stephen King's It or Poltergeist can be enough to make most people afraid of clowns.
在他犯罪之后的几年间，小丑变成了恐怖电影中的重要元素，史蒂芬·金的电影《它》或者《鬼驱人》就足以让人们害怕小丑。
In popular culture, this fear of clowns is not new, however. Joseph Grimaldi, one of the original famous clowns, died of alcoholism. Charles Dickens was in charge of editing Grimaldi's memoirs and painted a dark picture of Grimaldi. Dickens included this Grimaldi quote in the book: "I am grim all day, and yet I make you laugh all night."
然而，对小丑的恐惧并不是什么新鲜事物。著名的小丑约瑟夫·格里马尔迪死于酗酒后，查理斯·狄更斯负责编纂他的回忆录，并且为他画了一幅像，在回忆录中，他引用了格里马尔迪的一句话：“我整日冷漠堕落，却每晚逗人发笑。”
This was perhaps one of society's first glimpses into the hidden darkness behind the happy makeup of the clown. English professor Andrew McConnell Stott credits Dickens for igniting the spark of fear in society that clowns are not what they appear to be.
这也许是人们第一次看到小丑开心的假面背后隐藏的黑暗。英语语言教授安德鲁·康奈尔·斯托特认为是狄更斯直接导致人们害怕小丑并未以真面目示人。
4. 童年阴影
In a documentary filmed by National Geographic, a woman who suffered a childhood trauma involving clowns openly screams and cries in fear when she sees them. She is even revolted by the toys and images of clowns to which she is exposed as part of her therapy. Once the psychologist brings a clown to the office, the terrified woman can barely keep it together.
在国家地理拍摄的一部纪录片中，一位曾经对小丑有童年阴影的女士一看到小丑就会尖叫哭泣，原本心理医生打算用小丑的玩具和图片来对她进行治疗，但只要医生一把这些东西带进治疗室，她就会恐惧不已，十分抗拒。
In an article from Psychology Today, one woman recounts the traumatic experience of becoming a volunteer on the Bozo the Clown TV show when she was a child in the 1960s. She was forced to sit on his lap and see up close that he was frowning despite his painted smile. He also smelled like alcohol.
在《今日心理学》中，一位女士回忆起了她幼年时关于小丑的黑暗经历——20世纪60年代，她作为志愿者参加了电视节目《马戏团丑角》，在节目中她被要求坐在小丑的腿上，由于离得很近，她看到了小丑画着的笑脸后皱着的眉头，还闻到了一股酒气。
She panicked and vomited all over Bozo, who started cursing. The illusion of the happy clown was shattered, and the experience has traumatized her ever since. It is likely that many other people with a serious case of coulrophobia had similar traumatic experiences at a circus or birthday party that led to their fear of clowns.
在整个节目过程中，她对小丑感到十分恐惧和恶心，头脑中那个开心的小丑消失了，从那以后，这个童年的阴影一直挥之不去。患有严重的小丑恐惧症的人中也许很多人都和童年的阴影有关，这些童年阴影可能产生于马戏表演，也可能产生于生日派对。
3. Inferiority And Superiority Complexes
3. 自卑与优越情结
Throughout history, part of a clown's purpose was to help with the spectator's self-esteem. Court jesters (aka "fools") were meant to be laughed at for being so stupid, and clowns are often the same.
诚然，在历史中，小丑的部分使命在于帮助观众建立自信。贵族家庭中的小丑就是通过扮蠢来引人发笑的，现在的小丑也多是如此。
In a study by the Theodora Foundation, the researchers traveled with clowns to pediatric hospitals in Ontario, Canada. In their findings, the researchers mentioned that children may feel better about themselves if they can laugh at someone else for being silly or stupid. This gives terminally ill children a desperately needed ego boost.
在泰奥多拉基金会的一项研究中，研究人员和小丑们一起前往加拿大安大略湖的一个儿童医院进行研究，他们发现，如果孩子们可以嘲笑别人犯傻或者愚蠢的行为的话会觉得好受些，这种方式满足了身患绝症的孩子们建立自信的迫切需求。
However, this type of humor may not be the best for the average person. According to Psychology Today, people who act superior toward others are actually very insecure and are seeking reassurance from others to feel good about themselves. According to Greater Good, a University of California, Berkeley, publication, happy people do not feel the need to be superior to others.
但是，这样的方式并不适合普通人。据《今日心理学》的说法，往往只有自觉高人一等的人才会缺乏安全感，并需要从别人那里获取自我认同。加州大学伯克利分校出版的期刊《至善》也称，幸福的人不需要到处展示自己的优越感。
In short, the average person with a fair amount of happiness and self-esteem does not seek to laugh at someone like a clown. Since many people do not want or need that kind of laughter in their lives, it feels uncomfortable to be around a clown who is trying to force it upon you.
总之，幸福水平中等的、自尊自信的普通人并不需要嘲笑别人包括小丑来取乐。因为很多人并没有这种需求，看小丑表演，被“强迫”笑出声，往往会让人觉得很不舒服。
2. They Just Aren't Funny Anymore
2. 小丑再也不好笑了
Throughout time, popular comedy has changed depending on current events and a natural evolution of cultural taste. For example, if we see a clown falling on a banana peel or hitting their friend over the head with a giant hammer, this would be an example of physical, or "slapstick," comedy. However, slapstick has not been popular for some time because society has too much sympathy for the pain of other human beings.
随着时间流逝，当前的情况和大众的口味也在发生变化，流行喜剧也随时改变。一个小丑踩香蕉皮滑倒了，或者拿着大锤子锤他的朋友，这些都是低俗喜剧的代表。但是随着人们对他人痛苦的共情能力的提高，这些低俗喜剧都不再受欢迎了。
Our discomfort with clowns could partially be attributed to cultural changes in what we find funny. In an interview with NPR, Linda Rodriguez McRobbie mentions that people were wary of clowns for years. Then, in the 1960s, clowns had a sudden rise in popularity with characters like Ronald McDonald and Bozo the Clown. McRobbie believes that their popularity was simply a fad and that society is back to its normal state, which is to see clowns as creepy rather than funny.
我们对小丑感到不适可以部分归因于我们对“什么是有趣”这一感知上的变化。琳达·麦克罗比·罗德里格斯在对美国国家电视台的采访中提及，人们对小丑的恐惧已经存在多年了。虽然在20世纪60年代，随着麦当劳和电视节目《马戏团丑角》的流行，小丑的流行程度明显提高，但是麦克罗比认为他们的流行只是一种简单的潮流而已——如今，这个社会正在退回它的本来状态，实际上，小丑在人们眼中不是风趣幽默，而是惊悚骇人。
Children and adults alike may become confused and uncomfortable when they are expected to laugh at something they simply do not find to be funny. It is common for people, especially children, to feel social anxiety and fear in situations where they are not sure how to react.
当小孩和大人们在面对自己觉得无趣的东西却要挤出笑声的时候都会感觉困惑不适。在手足无措的情况下觉得焦虑恐惧是人之常情，这种情况在小孩身上尤为明显。
1. Freud's Uncanny Theory
1. 福瑞德的“暗恐”理论
In his 1919 publication "The Uncanny," the world-famous psychologist Sigmund Freud explains that we can be frightened by something that is familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. Using the hypothetical example of a human being with a severed head or limbs, Freud says that we will immediately focus on the body parts that are different instead of the ones that are still intact.
在1919年，著名的心理学家西格蒙德·弗洛伊德在其发表的《暗恐》一文中指出，我们会因为熟悉事物中存在的异常之处而倍感恐惧：假设我们看到一个被截肢的人，我们往往会看到他与正常人的不同之处，而不会是相同的部分。
A real-life example is how many children are frightened when they see an amputee because they cannot understand why the person's legs are gone. It also makes many adults feel sad or uncomfortable for a variety of reasons.
一个现实生活中的例子就是很多小孩在看到被截肢的人会害怕，因为他们无法理解为什么那些人会少了胳膊，或者少了腿，而成年人看到了，也会因为这样那样的理由觉得难过或者不适。
Harvard professor Steven C. Schlozman elaborates on the "uncanny" theory in comparison to clowns. He explains that a clown has similar features to a human being—a mouth, a nose, ears, hands, feet, and hair. However, a clown's body parts are enlarged or exaggerated—giant shoes, abnormally large lips painted on a white face, and a huge, red nose. Just like the example with the amputee, people notice the differences in other human beings much more easily than the similarities and that can cause fear and discomfort.
哈佛的史蒂芬·斯库罗茨曼教授详细地阐述了“暗恐”理论在小丑恐惧症上的表现：小丑和人一样，有嘴巴、鼻子、耳朵、手脚、头发，但是身体部分却比较夸张——巨大的鞋子，异常的嘴唇、惨白的脸、又大又红的鼻子，就像人们只看到被截肢的人不同常人的地方一样，人们也跟容易注意到小丑异于常人的地方，这些异常造成了他们的恐惧和不适。
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