Londoners are the nation’s biggest scaredy-cats, with a whopping seven in ten adults from the capital admitting they’re afraid of the dark

New research suggests folk who live in the bright lights of the capital are in fact, by FAR the most likely to fear the dark (71 percent compared to a national average of just 56 percent). Brummies are the second most likely to feel freaked out in the nighttime (63 percent), followed by people from Bristol, Leeds, and Brighton (55 percent)

The nationally representative survey, commissioned by Netflix in conjunction with the launch of new family-friendly animated film, Orion and the Dark, found that across the UK, a quarter (27 percent) of Brits sleep with the landing light on, while a further 26 percent are only able to doze off if the TV is on or if calming music is playing (17 percent).

19 percent admit they run up the stairs when the downstairs lights are off, with 18 percent refusing to put their feet outside of the duvet in case a monster gets them.

A sixth (15 percent) confess that they take their phone to the loo, so they are not in the dark, while 15 percent simply refuse to go at all.

Asking a partner to go downstairs if there is a noise (13 percent), hiding under the duvet in a thunderstorm (12 percent), thinking that a clothes pile is a monster (10 percent), and creaking pipes are a ghost are other fears many of us have never quite shaken.

It’s no surprise that a third (35 percent) admit that they are still scared of things they were terrified of as a child.

Behavioural Psychologist Jo Hemmings commented, “The survey shows around half of adults still fear the dark, and that rises to seven in ten in the capital city.

“Our inner child stays with us throughout life and unfortunately this can mean that many of the irrational fears and anxieties we had as children, manifest themselves in later life.

“The fear of the dark is common because it’s a primitive behavioural instinct that instils fear and anxiety when there are no reassuring sights or soothing sounds to make sense of the world.

“Adults may associate darkness with the inability to be in control – if we can’t see, we may fear bad things happening to us in the night, which we are unprepared for and our fear becomes a defence mechanism, where our brains during the waking period are on high alert and our imaginations can go into overdrive.”

On average Brits have five bad dreams a month, waking up with a start three times a month.

Four in ten (41 percent) say they often wake up in a cold sweat after a nightmare, with 16 percent regularly waking their partner up by screaming.

One in ten (10 percent) have even lashed out at their other half while asleep while experiencing a bad dream.

Netflix commissioned the survey of 2,000 British adults to mark the release of its brand new animated film, Orion and the Dark which was written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and stars Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser and Angela Bassett. The film’s director Sean Charmatz comments: “I immediately saw myself in Orion when I read the script and from this research it’s clear so many people will too. He may be an anxiety-ridden eleven-year-old, but his worries and fears are so relatable no matter how old you are. The biggest theme of the film is something I think about every day: You can’t let the things you’re afraid of hold you back. I hope this film inspires kids and their families to talk about those fears, and most importantly, helps people of any age learn to let go – even a little bit!”

Modern Brits (18- to 29-year-olds) have the most nightmares suffering six a month and waking up with a fright four times a month.

Despite this, a WHOPPING 92 percent agree that facing and overcoming childhood fears is an important part of growing up.

THE TOP 10 SCAREDY CAT CAPITALS

*Percentage of grownups who are scared of the dark:

London (71 percent)

Birmingham (63 percent)

Bristol (55 percent)

Leeds (55 percent)

Brighton (55 percent)

Leicester (54 percent)

Nottingham (54 percent)

Edinburgh (53 percent)

Manchester (53 percent)

Cardiff (52 percent)