Let's see if I can somehow tie this back to the dark. I think one of the reasons why Americans don't like the dark is because it demands a sort of a primal regression. You go about with all of your innovations and modern way of life during the day. But if you take away the light, the familiar surroundings fade away, your sense of sight, and the modern lifestyle built up around it fade away. You are left with the other senses, the forgotten, primitive senses.
People are unsure how to rely on their hearing.
Every noise is foreign, a possible danger, to them. In the dark you become aware. Aware to a degree that you do not reach at any other time. Urban dwellers that live in a perpetual artificial light are even further removed from this awareness, they live jaded, cushioned lives, and the dark makes them uncomfortable. When coming home after a long day, they instantly go about the house, turning on all of the lights.