What do you do when you encounter something that really scares you?

30% Can’t move an inch—but they’re dying to get away. Thankfully, another 24% have already made it outta the room! 13% have a compulsion to get their feet off the floor—especially in a theater, and 10% scream like a bear cub calling for its mother.

Some answers we liked:

• Hold my breath • DO SOMETHING—move, yell, grab my husband! • Get aggressive and go straight at it • Cry • My hands start to tremble and I try to do what is required • Swear…and loudly! • Get in my Muay Thai stance. • Check it out in a sneaky way • Check my emotion against what is happening

It’s dark. You’re home alone. There’s an abrupt and loud noise from the other room. What do you do?

70% Say they’d better check it out—it’ll drive them crazy if they don’t. 20% say whatever, something probably fell, back to Netflix. 2% are convinced it’s an alien invader. (Everyone else is wondering if the cat damaged something.)

Are you a scaredy-cat?

Yes: 30% No: 70%

What is your biggest fear? Some answers we liked:

• Birds… • Being wrong • Gun violence • The deep ocean (have you seen the photographs?!) • The rabbits from the Watership Down cartoon • My ex-wife, then spiders • Colonoscopy

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’re afraid of?

• Touching toothpaste—it makes my skin crawl • Open closet doors • Clusters of very small things, like bell pepper seeds. Weird, I know • I was once trapped in a bathroom with a chipmunk. It was jumping. I was screaming and giggling but not actually having fun • Balloons popping • Escalators when I can’t hold on with my hand

Which would you rather handle?

66%: Visceral scary stuff 33%: Interpersonal scary stuff

What’s the scariest nightmare you ever had?

• I met a talking lion. • Dying, and being aware of it • Having to return to finish my Ph.D. • My daughter was pregnant. She’s 12. • Hundreds of alligators were trying to enter my house through every opening. • I was cut up into small cubes and reassembled, but some of the cubes were put back in the wrong place. • A zombie ate my right hand. I’m a piano teacher. • Walking through a carnival in a rough area of town where skins of other people were hanging on hooks and we could try them on.