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Goose BumpsGoose bumps are small raised bumps that dot the skin in response to cold, fear, or sudden emotional triggers like music or art. They resemble poultry skin after the feathers have been plucked. Formally referred to as piloerection—a nod to the muscles responsible for the hair-raising phenomenon—goose bumps occur when arrector pili muscles at the base of hair follicles contract and pull hairs erect, creating the characteristic bumps. This reflexive action in animals and birds causes their fur or feathers to stand on end. This makes them appear larger and scares off predators. It also traps a pocket of air close to the body, serving as insulation. Since humans no longer have thick hair and we wear clothes to stay warm, many scientists believe our goose bumps are an evolutionary remnant from our ancestors, like our tailbones. In medicine, the Latin-derived term for goose bumps is cutis anserina—since "cutis" is skin and "anser" is goose. Worldwide, different cultures and languages have additional terms for these bumps, some of which reference chickens, ducks, and even snails.Explore Goose Bumps

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Music may give some of us the chills and goose bumps—perhaps because it shocks usThe science is still unsettled about why music can trigger a chill down your spine, formally known as frisson, but one theory is that anything surprising to the nervous system—including sudden beat drops or unexpected harmonies—stimulates a type of alarm response that gives rise to this feeling. AsapSCIENCE The anatomy of our hair follicles explains goose bumpsThe arrector pili muscle contracts when we’re cold or scared, causing hairs to stand up and the skin to form the bumps known as goose bumps. This reaction is typically involuntary. Kenhub Long-term goose bumps are something to flag to your doctorAlthough rarely a cause for concern, persistent goose bumps with no known cause could be a symptom of something to discuss with your doctor, including anxiety, a hair follicle blockage, or conditions that arise from an overreaction of the autonomic nervous system. Cleveland Clinic Audio and visual cues from "Titanic," Pink Floyd, and more can provoke goose bumpsThese audio and visual snippets have been used in research studies to elicit goose bumps. BrainCraft Artificial goose bumps could theoretically be used for information storageInspired by how fine hairs stand on the skin with goose bumps, researchers have recently created artificial skin that raises artificial goose bumps when exposed to a laser. This type of precise, localized, and controllable system could potentially fuel later development of programmable machines that could be used for information storage. Nature Materials Scientists have unraveled new details about which nerve cells control goose bumpsResearch in 2016 revealed that at least eight different types of neurons are associated with the sympathetic nervous system. One finding revealed that goose bumps and nipple erection are caused by neurons specialized to regulate these specific functions by controlling the erectile muscles in those tissues. Smithsonian Magazine Humans accurately detect their goose bumps only about one-third of the timeThough people do experience goose bumps frequently, goose bump research suggests that humans think they’re experiencing goose bumps in response to emotional cues more often than they truly are. Wiley Online Library Goose bumps may play a role in hair growthResearch in mice suggests that the same muscles that contract to create goose bumps act as the bridge for the sympathetic nervous system’s connection to hair follicle stem cells. This raises questions about how this knowledge could be used to reactivate the sympathetic nerves in hair follicles to boost hair growth in people. National Institutes of Health Goose bumps require a surprisingly complex series of stepsWatch an anatomical breakdown of how goose bumps work—featuring real skin from a human cadaver, a segmented brain, and a detailed anatomical model of the skin—to learn about all the jargon behind goose bump science. (Warning: Includes graphic footage of cadaver skin.) Institute of Human Anatomy Goose bumps are often triggered by emotionsA physiologist and professor of zoology explains that the subconscious release of adrenaline, a stress hormone, causes a contraction of skin muscles. It’s released in several situations, including when humans are cold, afraid, or feel strong emotions. (Some readers may experience a paywall.) Scientific American Porcupines, when threatened, go piloerect—essentially, they get goose bumpsIf stressed, the animal appears to grow to about twice its normal size because it goes piloerect, which causes the quills to stand erect. If this intimidation tactic to avoid conflict doesn't work on the predator, the animal may get stabbed by the quills upon contact with the porcupine. Smithsonian Charles Darwin studied goose bumps by scaring zoo animals in London with a stuffed snakeRead the famous naturalist’s work from the late 1800s, detailing how he sought to draw comparisons between how animals and humans respond to fear. As part of that work, he exposed monkeys and a peccary to a stuffed snake and noted the animals’ hair-raising fear response. Project Gutenberg Some of us can control our goose bumpsA small 2018 study examined the rare ability to control goose bumps. Researchers found some intriguing associations between having a particularly open and curious personality type and the ability to trigger this sensation—a link that they hope will be explored further in the future. Northeastern Global News There’s a lot we still don’t know about goose bumps in humansThough goose bumps can be associated with changes in skin temperature, the biggest gaps in our understanding are around measuring goose bumps from nonthreatening exposures. These bumps can often occur without our detection, and we have trouble correctly identifying them. The relationship between emotionally induced chills and goose bumps can also be tenuous. Popular Science Science solves the fascinating mystery of goose bumps.Researchers have found that the same cell types that cause goose bumps are responsible for controlling hair growth. Harvard University Fearology, or the study of fear, explores the difference between stress and fearOur brains involuntarily respond to our environment and signal alarm when that isn’t always needed, triggering responses that include goose bumps. But understanding fear and how to talk our brains into calming down can improve daily life. Ologies The brains of people who experience frisson have unique neural pathwaysA small 2016 study aimed to investigate the behavioral and neural differences between 10 individuals who experience goose bumps when listening to music and 10 who typically don’t. Scientists reported that individuals experiencing musical chills had greater white matter connectivity in specific auditory, emotional, and social processing areas of the brain. Oxford Academic The story behind one iconic memeThe 2012 post titled "Just a book owners smile" shows 11-year-old Maggie Goldenberger—resplendent in her braces, pigtails, and treasure map-like vest—holding a trio of Goosebumps books and grinning wildly at the camera. Another user quickly captioned it, "GERSBERMS. MAH FRAVRIT BERKS." Vanity Fair

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