Hardly anyone actually likes the sound of a popping a balloon, which can be incredibly loud and uncomfortably startling. But some people really, really hate it.
Cut.com captured the whole range of reactions to the noise in a new video, recording 100 different people as they popped a fresh balloon somewhere near each of their heads.
Some people seemed to jump out of their skin with fear, while others were impressively stoic in the face of such a loud noise.
Pop! Cut.com recorded 100 people reacting to a balloon popping
Yikes! Many of the people in the clip screamed and shrieked in surprise
It’s all a blur! These two were so startled and jumped so quickly that they blurred on screen
Fits of giggles! Some people laughed nervously after the pop
Please no! Most of the people tensed up and hunched their shoudlers
For each scene, the video makers would have the subject close his or her eyes while they moved a balloon close. Then, at the last moment, they would tell the subject to open their eyes, before popping the balloon immediately.
The most common reaction looked similar across the faces and bodies of most people in the clip.
They’re shoulders would immediately hunch up protectively as their bodies tensed. Their faces would scrunch up, their eyes would close, and their chests would seem to rise.
Several people screamed and yelled, shouting profanities and yelping. Several laughed nervously, and a few quickly flung their hands to their faces.
The most over-the-top reactions involved people jumping backward or to the side, with some stumbling and almost falling.
Surprise! Nearly everyone was surprised and thrown off by the loud sound
Nope! Some showed some annoyance even as their hearts were likely racing
All over: The reactions ranged from minimal to totally freaked out
Can you NOT? This man was looking at his phone when the balloon popped and looked pretty peeved about the sound
Still: A few outliers had no reaction at all and even looked peacefull
Safe! This man showed no reaction, and when asked why, he said he was used to gunshots
However, some of the people in the video were incredibly still and stoic. One woman even agreed to hold a red balloon in her hands, and didn’t seem to move as it was popped between her palms.
A handful of people seemed peaceful, including one man who had tattoos covering his entire face. When asked why he didn’t react, he said plainly: ‘I’m used to gunshots.’
Another man who also had guns on the brain seemed more taken aback by the noise, startling before admonishing the people behind the camera: ‘You can’t do that to black people!’
A few people seemed just mildly surprised and even annoyed, including a man who had picked that moment to look down at his phone.