the only place where everyone screams when scared [well, all the females, anyway!] is in the movies and in tv shows!
Agree, but that's just to get a rise out of people. If you went to a horror movie where they didn't make a sound, it wouldn't have the same effect as a scream-y one.
I think a more common reaction to overpowering fear is the lockdown of your body, sort of nature's way of serving you on a silver platter. "Want some pineapple with this puny human o mighty lion?"
When I'm scared, I tend to freeze for a few seconds--which for a killer/animal would be more than enough time to destroy me any which way--but then march ahead to face whatever scared me.
I was watching tv yesterday and saw a clip from a vacation somewhere in asia. There were a bunch of people standing on top of a sea-wall/canal type construction waiting to watch a tidal bore come in. The bore overtopped the wall and started sweeping people away, (don't worry, nobody was killed). I thought it interesting that, based on the sound, it was from one third to one half of the group that screamed, and most of them were female. I also thought it interesting that not one person in the group froze for any appreciable length of time. It was a nice real-world example using a large group of people that got me thinking. Edit: Come to think of it, the only clips with significant amounts of yelling men were noticeably devoid of women.
i know im many many pages late but yeah thats true. i do martial arts and performing the yell at the same time of a technique lends it more power and accuracy, greater speed and just more awesomeness (also settles breathing, weridly enough). it also scares the absolute bejesus out of your opponent. i think thats why we scream in hostile situations (among other reasons)-terrify your aggressor.
Ha, maybe because they thought if they yelled in front of them they'd be considered wimps? It amazes me how tough guys think they have to be, when really a lot of us like someone who's more honest and open about his feelings than a brick.