why do we usually scream and/or jump up when scared?
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Loud noises, especially unexpected ones, can distract, if even for a moment. This can give someone an extra second to get away from an attacker. It also alerts other humans allowing them to run, either toward you to help or away to flee. You jump in response to your fight or flight mechanism. The sudden movement is useful in both situations, either to make distance between someone and the attacker or to try to get a preemptive strike. A good example of this is an old .gif where a guy in a gorilla costume pops out of a garbage can and gets punched in the face for scaring a dude. The best part is that neither of these require much physical exertion or stamina, so it benefits us to do it whether we are being attacked or not. It does look a little silly when we do it and don’t need it though.
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