In an article headlined “He fell 25 feet over a waterfall onto rocks below. His screams alerted rescuers,” USA Today journalist Natalie Neysa Alund puts forth a compelling argument as to why you should scream when in dangerous situation and require assistance, writing “Screaming for help, a hiker was rescued after falling over a waterfall and landing 25 feet down in ‘a rocky pool,’ according to officials in Southern California” in the lede to underscore just how crucial the act of screaming was to the man’s rescue from the treacherous rocks of Big Falls in San Bernardino County.

Unstated, but heavily implied in the text is that the man would in all likelihood otherwise have perished if he had chosen to remain silent during the ordeal, that the scream was literally the difference between life or death and the responders may not have visually ascertained his position.

Indeed, the article specifies that “While the firefighters who initially responded could not see the hiker, they could hear ‘cries for help,’ the department said,” which further bolsters this implication but does not foreclose the possibility that the firefighters could have sought another vantage point.

The bottom line: Screaming works in a wide array of dangerous situations – with some important caveats, like if a vicious werewolf just killed your neighbor on his front lawn and you scream in shock seeing it from your window. The werewolf would be alerted to your position and smash through your front door, requiring you to hide in the linen closet. Then you must remain absolutely silent while the lycanthrope sniffs the air hungrily, trying to find you. If he does rip open the closet door then go ahead and scream. It won’t do anything but it’ll at least feel good to vent some negative emotions.