What gives you GOOSEBUMPS and why?

Goosebumps

Each tiny hair on your skin is attached to small muscles, called arrector pili muscles. In cold or frightening situations these muscles tighten. This makes the hair stand straight up. The skin around the hair bunches up and makes a little bump. When all of your hairs do this at the same time, you have goose bumps

I think we have all experienced goosebumps from being scared, so we know the feeling. But there are other things besides fear and cold that make someone have goosebumps. I suppose these are caused by an adrenaline rush?

There is one thing for me that gives me goosebumps, makes me salivate excessively, and gives me the chills. You might be thinking it's fingernails on a chalkboard. Nope!

It's Brushed Aluminum. Anything made with brushed aluminum REALLY bothers me. I can't touch it period! This is anything from aluminum cookware, cookie sheets, knives, pots, pans, even sink faucets, or anything made with brushed aluminum.

Just thinking about it, or looking at it gets the goosebumps going, and my mouth salivating. But why? It's not the same feeling that comes with goosebumps from being scared--not at all. I'm not afraid of aluminum.

What gives you the goosebumps? Does anyone know why certain things trigger goosebumps and what is going on in the body to produce them?


PS. I have one set of sharp knives that are aluminum and I have covered all the handles in electrical tape and now I have no problem using them. Let that tape come off though, and I won't touch it.

This is a good question, and I sometimes wonder if it is under my own control, self induced. Is it divine? We can speculate and debate anyway.

The reason goosebumps concern me is that I've never had so many instances of goosebumps as I have had on the truth seeking mission.

Obviously the feeling is generated from the brain. Then, why do so many people attribute goosebumps to something paranormal?

I get goosebumps very easily. Just reading this thread and thinking about it gave me goosebumps. lol Being cold, reading a sad news story, watching a scary movie, seeing blood in person, etc.

My version of nails on a chalkboard that you mention is Styrofoam rubbing against cardboard. Like taking new electronics out of the packaging and hearing that 'reeeeeeeeek' sound and feeling the filing/grating of both substances against each other.

Goosebumps and cringing every time.

To tell he truth...

I can't honestly remember the last time I got goosebumps. It's been a couple of decades. [I've seen too much] I do know it's a defense mechanism. Just like a cat or dog when their hair gets all poofy.

It's an attempt to make itself appear bigger than it is. If we were all covered in hair and got goosebumps we would look all poofy.

reply to post by SLAYER69

It's an attempt to make itself appear bigger than it is. If we were all covered in hair and got goosebumps we would look all poofy.

That's pretty much what I always thought it was about. Some sort of evolutionary throw-back self defense mechanism. When you're scared or feel threatened, the hair follicles stand up to make your size appear larger to predators. We just don't have a lot of body hair to make it matter for us. Or at least some of us I should say. lol

Originally posted by sticky
This is a good question, and I sometimes wonder if it is under my own control, self induced. Is it divine? We can speculate and debate anyway.

The reason goosebumps concern me is that I've never had so many instances of goosebumps as I have had on the truth seeking mission.

Obviously the feeling is generated from the brain. Then, why do so many people attribute goosebumps to something paranormal?

You can accelerate your adrenaline to create the goosebumps, I do it all the time, it is vibratory frequency and it is positive energy. You can think excited thoughts and give yourself the 'rush" and the goosebumps appear. It is a good thing, stimulates the body and brain. Takes practice, but when you are around sensitive people, they will react. You will not notice it at first but do it often enough and study it and you will see.

Nirvana and Buddhism, study these two and learn meditation. Nirvana is what you achieve and Buddhism is the religious philosophy.

[edit on 4-1-2010 by daddio]

I have only ever associated goosebumps with a good feeling, i get them mainly with live music even hearing a recording of live music. Sometimes its something that someone says thats inspirational, and my favourite is when the wife gives me goosebumps.
Never thought of them as fear reaction.

reply to post by daddio

You can accelerate your adrenaline to create the goosebumps, I do it all the time, it is vibratory frequency and it is positive energy.

Then we should be able to stop ourselves from getting goosebumps, too? I can see how they can be a defense mechanism for when you are scared or threatened, but why do some ordinary common things cause people to get them? For instance, my daughter gets the same reaction to flour that I get to aluminum. Neither of these are scary, frightful, or should trigger a fright response, but they do.

I get goosebumps in different situations.

When I get really scared or freaked out, I'll get the chills that run up my back, make my neck tingle, and raise the hair on my head. Like when I'm driving by myself, at night, down a dark country road and just....sense....there's something in the backseat. I hate that feeling!

I also get goosebumps whenever I'm overcome with emotion. Can be positive or negative emotion, like watching one of those sappy long distance phone commercials. Don't know why.

As for a sound I can't stand, its the sound of cutlery on plates. Makes eating at a restaraunt very unnerving. Ugh. I've got goosebumps just thinking about it.

Originally posted by pazcat
I have only ever associated goosebumps with a good feeling, i get them mainly with live music even hearing a recording of live music. Sometimes its something that someone says thats inspirational, and my favourite is when the wife gives me goosebumps.
Never thought of them as fear reaction.

Well we are HUMAN after all, So our reactions are a bit different than other animals. We also mate out of season. So our developmental path was way different.

It's the excitement phase we go through. Goosebumps are an involuntary reaction.


As being a top predator there is not much that scares us. However the body still remembers the [Flight or Fight] involuntary reaction. IMHO

Bulls, i dont get goosebumps when im scared at all, only time i get goosebumps is when i am exited

reply to post by virraszto


OMG this post is already making me go goosey - I cannot stand cotton wool. Also have a problem with wet woollen jumpers that have not had conditioner added.

Got to get these thoughts out of my head or else will be goosey all night!

I associate them with good and ba feelings too! but.....

Cotton wool honestly just typing this and thinking about it makes my hair stand up, I feel like punching something or biting something if I feel it! it really makes the animal appear in me it's hard to explain the feeling you get without sounding mad, sorry!

What gives me goosebumps? To see people actually believing in everything their president tells them as if they are unaware of the dirty world of politics. Our president Lula, here in Brazil, for example, is treated by many like a God. He is one of the most corrupt presidents this country has ever had and his political party PT(the Labor Party) is one of the most corrupt political parties as well. Dont get me wrong. The president before him, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, was also corrupt and so will be our next president.

So, yeah, dumb people give me goosebumps.