Yell 'Fire!' Instead of 'Help!' to Get Attention

If you're in danger and need strangers to intervene, yelling "Help!" is surprisingly ineffective. Bystanders often freeze, assume someone else will act, or rationalize what they're hearing as not serious. "Fire!" bypasses all of that because it directly threatens everyone within earshot — people will look, move, and come out of their homes. This isn't a trick; it's based on how the bystander effect works. Fire is perceived as an immediate collective threat, while "help" is perceived as someone else's problem. Use whatever word gets the most bodies moving toward you.