Reason this out. Or do the experiment. Or read what Renée Baillargeon has to say about these two questions: “Can 12 Large Clowns Fit in a Mini Cooper? Or When Are Beliefs and Reasoning Explicit and Conscious?” Renée Baillargeon, Developmental Science, vol. 7, no. 4, 2004, pp. 422-424.
The Manchester Evening News reports on a “Bizarre spate of clown-related crimes reported across region” (thanks to investigator Adam K. Olson for bringing it to our attention.): Police dealt with 19 incidents involving people dressed as clowns last year, and most were no laughing matter. Disguised with colourful wigs and white facepaint, smiling crooks carried […]
Linda Rodriguez McRobbie writes, on the Smithsonian blog, about “The History and Psychology of Clowns Being Scary“: Even the people who are supposed to like clowns—children—supposedly don’t. In 2008, a widely reported University of Sheffield, England, survey of 250 children between the ages of four and 16 found that most of the children disliked and even […]
Investigator Patricia Jonas sent us this note: I was directed to a web site that says: “Imagine making maths fun using soap bubbles, balloons and a Maths Clown.” I do not want to imagine making maths fun using soap bubbles, balloons and a Maths Clown. I enjoy maths. But I find clowns disturbing. Very disturbing. […]