# I involuntarily scream when I slip and fall now, did anyone else start doing that as they got older **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018 "2024-07-10T20:15:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/1 "2024-07-10T20:15:27Z")
In my teens and 20s if I slipped and either almost fell or totally fell I would either be silent or I would laugh. Then starting in my mid 30s I started screaming involuntarily when this happened. I just had it happen earlier today too, hence my post. has anyone else undergone this transition? Is this a normal part of aging? FWIW I don’t involuntarily scream if something frightens me like a loud noise or a jump scene in a movie. Just when I slip and either fall or almost fall. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/2 "2024-07-10T23:40:01Z")
Uh, how often _do_ you slip and fall? I’ve slipped exactly twice in the past 20 years. Both fairly memorable. No idea if I screamed, even though the second one bloodied my chin. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/3 "2024-07-10T23:44:21Z")
Is it, like, a bloody murder kind of scream, or more like a little girl in a swimming pool? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/4 "2024-07-11T00:03:28Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Uh, how often _do_ you slip and fall? I’ve slipped exactly twice in the past 20 years. Both fairly memorable. No idea if I screamed, even though the second one bloodied my chin. Probably 5-10 times in the last 10 years. Mostly due to tripping on cables, wet grass, ice or the bathroom floor being wet. I recall slipping, but not falling, in my brothers bathtub when I was in my early 30s. I distinctly remember not screaming when that happened. Then when I hit my mid 30s I just started to involuntarily scream when I would start to slip. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/5 "2024-07-11T00:03:43Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > Is it, like, a bloody murder kind of scream, or more like a little girl in a swimming pool? bloody murder ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/6 "2024-07-11T00:08:37Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Uh, how often _do_ you slip and fall? I’ve slipped exactly twice in the past 20 years. Both fairly memorable. No idea if I screamed, even though the second one bloodied my chin. I’m thinking of having a documentary of my life made. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/e6H_uyNFbb0/hqdefault.jpg "Mr. Show -watch this The Story Of Everest.flv") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6H_uyNFbb0) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/7 "2024-07-11T01:19:03Z")
I’m klutzy as heck. I don’t think I screamed. I may have cursed a bit. Recently had a broken foot, tripping over small dogs. I didn’t do anything because the kids were close. I cursed in my head though. I knew I hurt something, immediately. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/8 "2024-07-11T11:38:18Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I’ve slipped exactly twice in the past 20 years. Depends on your lifestyle, I think. Every winter I assume I’ll slip and fall once walking around our property. Freezing rain, you know. The slip/falls I work to avoid are the ones that would occur clambering over tree limbs on the ground while doing chainsaw work. I do not scream, but I do think about the fall and try to roll. So, I fall occasionally but the falls are never consequential. I experience the “time slows down” feeling during a fall. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/9 "2024-07-12T03:27:37Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Depends on your lifestyle, I think. I’m sure having icy winters doesn’t help. I do a fair amount of hiking, but don’t spend much time on icy sidewalks. I _am_ pretty good about clambering over tree limbs, rocks, etc., though (as long as they aren’t covered with wet algae). ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/10 "2025-10-23T13:34:26Z")
I know this is an old thread but it intrigued me. Could one who screams almost subconsciously want to make others aware of their fall? For example, my father fell last night over the dishwasher door and didn’t make an exclamation when he fell. He didn’t want to talk about his fall with anybody. To sum up, I wondered if there might be some ‘correlation’ between motivation and what someone exclaims when they fall. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/11 "2025-10-23T15:02:59Z")
I live alone, so nobody would hear me even if I did fall and scream. So I’m not entirely sure if I have some unconscious motivation to alert people nearby. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/12 "2025-10-23T15:07:01Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Depends on your lifestyle, I think. For s second I thought kayaker was back, until I realized I once again was fooled into thinking a zombie thread was current. P.S. I am a silent faller. I might emit an ‘argh’ or other inarticulate grunt, but not very loudly. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/13 "2025-10-23T15:12:56Z")
You might want to consider some type of fall detection alert device if you don’t already have one. I’ve been considering an Apple watch for that very reason. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/14 "2025-10-23T16:18:59Z")
I only scream (with laughter) when I see other people fall. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-involuntarily-scream-when-i-slip-and-fall-now-did-anyone-else-start-doing-that-as-they-got-older/1004018/15 "2025-10-23T18:35:08Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I recall slipping, but not falling, in my brothers bathtub when I was in my early 30s. I distinctly remember not screaming when that happened. Then when I hit my mid 30s I just started to involuntarily scream when I would start to slip. Are we talking a full-on scream, or more like a squeak?