Why Do We Get Goosebumps Even When We're Not Cold?
Nurit Rozenblat
Skin & Wellness Magazine
Sometimes all it takes is hearing a song that takes us back to a certain moment in life, remembering someone we love or being moved by a story, and suddenly tiny bumps appear on our arms.
Goosebumps.
But wait, we do not feel cold at all. So why does the body react as if someone opened the freezer?
This phenomenon, which looks so simple, is actually a fascinating response of our nervous system. And it tells something about the connection between the body, the emotions and the brain.
What really happens to our skin?
Beneath the surface of the skin, next to the hair follicles, are tiny muscles called Arrector Pili.
When these muscles contract, they pull the hair follicles and cause the hairs to stand up slightly. That is how the small bumps we know as goosebumps are formed.
The medical name of the phenomenon is Piloerection.
The response happens automatically, without our deciding on it and without our being able to control it easily.
Responsible for this is the sympathetic nervous system, the same system that takes part in the body's response to situations of stress, fear and excitement.
So why does it happen even when we are not cold?
Because cold is only one of the causes.
Strong emotions can also activate the same nervous response.
Think of the last time you heard a song that moved you especially. Perhaps a singer's voice, a line in a film, an old memory or a moment when someone said something to you that touched deep in your heart.
Sometimes, even before we have managed to understand what we are feeling, the body has already responded.
Studies on emotional chills have found that music, films and moving experiences can arouse physical responses, among them goosebumps.
The phenomenon is sometimes called Frisson, a French word that describes a sudden shiver of excitement.
And what is the connection between fear and goosebumps?
When we are startled, the body activates systems designed to prepare us for a rapid response.
The heart rate may rise, breathing changes, and the sympathetic system becomes more active.
In many animals, raised fur makes them look bigger and more threatening in the face of danger.
You can see this in a cat that feels threatened: its fur bristles and its body looks bigger.
In humans the same response remained, but since we have much less body hair, the result is mainly small bumps on the skin.
Why does music give us chills?
This is one of the parts of the phenomenon that I find most interesting.
Sometimes a certain song makes us feel something that is hard to explain in words. Not necessarily sadness or joy, but a strong sensation that passes through the body.
Studies point to a connection between music chills and activity in brain systems related to emotion, expectation and reward.
In some of the studies, involvement of dopamine was also found, a neurotransmitter that takes part in processes of pleasure and motivation.
But not every chill is accompanied by measured dopamine release, and not every person responds to music in the same way.
There are people who experience goosebumps from music often, and others who almost never do.
And both responses are completely normal.
Can you get goosebumps from a thought alone?
Absolutely.
A moving memory, anticipation of a meeting, a frightening thought and even imagining a certain situation can arouse a physical response.
Our brain does not operate separately from the body. It affects breathing, heart rate, sweating and also the tiny responses of the skin.
In a small portion of people there is even an ability to arouse goosebumps voluntarily, without cold and without a clear emotional stimulus.
This phenomenon has been studied, but not all of its mechanisms are understood yet.
Are goosebumps related to skin health?
Temporary goosebumps are a natural nervous response, and not a skin disease.
But there is another condition that looks very similar, and it is important to know the difference.
Keratosis pilaris (Keratosis Pilaris), sometimes also called “chicken skin”, is a condition in which keratin accumulates at the openings of the hair follicles and small, rough bumps form.
They often appear on the arms, thighs and cheeks, and remain on the skin even when we are not excited or feeling cold.
Unlike regular goosebumps, which disappear after a short time, keratosis pilaris is a persistent phenomenon.
Gentle care, moisture and suitable preparations can help improve its texture.
Can goosebumps indicate a medical problem?
In most cases there is no reason for concern at all.
Goosebumps that appear following cold, fear, excitement or music are a completely normal response.
That said, if they appear in an unusual and persistent way, or are accompanied by symptoms such as extreme sweating, weakness, confusion or other neurological phenomena, it is worth looking into the cause.
Rarely, goosebump-like responses can also appear in conditions related to the nervous system or to certain medications.
And to finish — when the skin feels before we do
There is something beautiful in my eyes in the fact that our body is capable of responding to an emotion even before we have managed to give it a name.
A song playing on the radio, a memory that suddenly appears, a moment of fear or excitement — all of these can leave a small mark on the skin.
We are used to thinking of the skin as a covering that protects us from the outside world.
But it is also part of a living system that responds to what takes place inside us.
And perhaps the next time you get goosebumps for no apparent reason, you will discover that there actually was a reason.
Simply, nothing happened to you on the outside.
Something touched you from within.
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