Aye, it always helps to be able to put oneself into another's shoes, as a bit of a changed perspective can shed quite a bit of light on things. I always use my bell when preparing to pass walkers/joggers on shared paths, and while I do sometimes get that "panicked, aimless cat-jump" out of people, more often than not I instead get the appropriate response. I've even been thanked several times by people just for using my bell (I'd wager those folks have been previously passed too closely and suddenly by stealthy cyclists on more than one occasion).