How 18 Different Countries Photoshopped One Woman to Fit Their Idea of ‘Beautiful’

My wife is currently in her late 30s, and for the entire 17 years I’ve known her, she’s been leery of the dark. Let’s say we’re winding down for bed and she mutters, "I left my medicine in the car," there’s a 100-percent chance I’ll be the one stumbling out to the driveway, shirtless and bleary-eyed, to grab it. (Apologies to my neighbors.) But I don’t blame her—in the right setting, I also find these post-midnight trips kinda creepy, despite the centering mantras my brain keeps repeating.

So how many people are just like her? Do most adults grow out of fearing the dark, or do many of us continue to glimpse our insecurities in the void? Turns out we have some interesting data to illuminate those points. When Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans in September, 29% of respondents admitted they "still harbor this childhood fear well into adulthood." Also notable is that men (33%) had slightly higher rates than women (26%).