An Experiment with Goosebumps

See what kinds of things in life give you chills

For the most part, when we notice the hairs on our arms stand up, little pimple-like bumps appear, and a shiver goes through our body, this is because we are simply cold. But then there is approximately 50% of the population that experiences these “chills” not only when they are cold but also when they come across something that touches their soul. Most commonly this occurs when people listen to music.

There are loads of theories as to why this occurs, and some research shows that music activates an ancient reward pathway in the brain that encourages dopamine (the same reward pathway that is responsible for gambling additions). But as music and other things are not necessarily predictable (and our brains are really good at predicting what comes next) this can tease our dopamine triggers and perhaps is what leads to Goosebumps.

As for me, I think Goosebumps is just one of the things that makes us uniquely human and also is an indication that something is really emotionally affecting us. Now, of course, there are some people who don’t experience this at all and that is just fine too. But in this blog post, I am going to share some links to YouTube videos. I encourage you to put in some headphones, close your eyes, and listen to the videos to see if you notice any Goosebumps arise (hey did I just accidentally rhyme). Come back and let me know in the comments if anything happened or if you have any suggestions for things that give you Goosebumps! I would love to hear.

The next scene is one of my favourite movie scenes of all time, you will need to watch this one instead of just listening.