Fictional Reactions?

Question:   In many horror films, someone is sitting or standing at the edge of their bed when something suddenly grabs their ankles and pulls them under the bed. Sometimes when I am sitting at the edge of my bed, with my feet dangling off the side, I think of these scenes. I know perfectly well that there is nothing under my bed. However, I still pull my feet up onto the bed. I am aware that there is no real danger, but I react to the fictional threat anyway. Why do I do this?

After our discussions in class, I have concluded that I must be just playing along with a make-believe game when I react to these fictional threats. As I stated in my question, I know very well that there is no real threat under my bed. I know that if I leave my feet dangling there, nothing bad will happen. However, my reaction to move my feet seems almost automatic, like a reflex. Perhaps this has happened so many times that I just automatically move my feet when the "scary" thought crosses my mind.

I think that although I am aware there is no real threat, I move my feet in order to put the thought out of my mind. Does this mean that I am afraid of the thought of something being under my bed? I am not sure, because I might just be moving my feet to get the thought out of my head, not because I fear it, but because I want to get the annoying thought out of my head and focus on something more important. If I don't move my feet, and keep them dangling, then I might start to think of it as a test to see how long I can leave them without getting "scared". I probably wouldn't be able to think about anything else with that challenge in mind.

Overall, I still do not have a positive answer for why I do this. Maybe I am just afraid of the thought itself. However, I still agree with Walton's theory for the most part. The only thing I can be absolutely sure of is this:  next time I find myself in this situation, I will definitely be thinking about this week's topic, and this blog in particular.