What gives you goosebumps? Is it nails on a chalkboard? A cold breeze? The Halloween movie theme music?
No matter the reason, the biological process is the same. On this episode of Ask Us Anything, editors Sarah Durn and Annie Colbert explain why our skin tingles with tiny bumps when we’re cold, scared, or just really moved by good music. We also chat with the king of Goosebumps, R.L. Stine.
Ask Us Anything answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions—from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. So while you can’t chuck garbage into the sun, you can (and should) sleep more in the winter. If you have a question for us, send us a note. Nothing is too silly or simple.
This episode is based on the Popular Science article “Why you get goosebumps when you’re scared—or inspired.”
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Full Episode Transcript
Sarah Durn: So we wanna know: What gives you goosebumps?
Person 1: Touching corduroy with the back of my hand.
Person 2: Biting into cold fruit. It sort of gives your teeth that jolt, but also I don’t like it.
Person 3: I get goosebumps on airplanes when I look out the window and kind of see this view of the world that like so many people, not even that long ago, never got to see.
Person 4: Listening to music in the dark by myself on really good headphones.
Person 5: The cold.
SD: Welcome to Ask Us Anything from the editors of Popular Science, where we answer your questions about our weird world. From “Why can’t we just chuck all our garbage into the sun” to “Are cats really scared of cucumbers?” No question is too outlandish or too mundane. I’m Sarah Durn, an editor here at Popular Science.
Annie Colbert: And I’m Annie Colbert, Editor-in-Chief at Popular Science.
This week we’re talking all about goosebumps. What are they and why do we get them? So, Sarah, I have to know. What gives you goosebumps?
SD: Well, I mean, I definitely get them when I’m cold. But also when I’m listening to a full symphony orchestra or listening to like, especially Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata will get me.
AC: Yes!
SD: There’s something about, I guess classical music. How about you?
AC: So I definitely get goosebumps in cold weather or if the air conditioner is blasting directly on me in the office or big moving sports moments like the Olympics. I also definitely watched way too much Unsolved Mysteries as a kid and I’m therefore very paranoid and get goosebumps when I’m scared, like if I feel a sense of danger.
SD: Oh yes. I mean like horror movies do it for me too. So I actually edited a story on this from one of our freelancers for PopSci: RJ Mackenzie. And our story came about because I was watching a scary movie and wondering “why the heck you get goosebumps when you’re scared.” It’s not like you’re in real danger, you know?
AC: Yes. No, totally. Okay, so why do we get goosebumps?
SD: Yeah, so basically it’s our fight or flight response kicks in. Our nervous system tells our muscles to contract, creating those tiny little bumps, which causes the hair on our body to stand on end.
AC: Yeah, okay. That makes sense. Our nervous system is basically our body’s communication network. It’s wild though.
SD: Right? Now, before we jump into the ins and outs of this primal reflex listeners, we want to know. What questions are keeping you curious?
AC: If there’s something you’ve always wondered, submit your questions through popsci.com/ask. Again, that’s popsci.com/ask. We might even feature it in a future episode. And remember, nothing is too strange or too simple for us to answer.
SD: We can’t wait to hear all your ideas.
AC: So up next we’re going to dive deeper into the biology of goosebumps. That’s coming up after this quick break.
Welcome back. So let’s talk goosebumps.
SD: Let’s do it.
AC: So first, a little fun background. The name goosebumps came about because when we get them, our skin looks a little bit like a plucked goose skin, which I’ve never actually seen a plucked goose, so I cannot verify that resemblance. And in German, the same phenomenon is called gänsehaut, which means goose skin. In French, they’re called chair de poule, or literally chicken skin. And in Russian they’re called murashki, which means little ants. And I apologize for any pronunciation missteps there.
SD: Little ants isn’t something I would’ve thought of. Do you wanna know another fun fact?
AC: Always.
SD: Well, geese and chickens don’t actually have bumpy skin. When their feathers are plucked, their feather follicles become slightly raised, and that’s what gives their skin that bumpy look.
AC: Ooh, so of course I must know, can geese get goosebumps?
SD: Because they have feathers and not hair. It’s a little different, but they can make their feathers stand on end when they’re scared. So they do have like a similar response.
AC: Ah, so they were also watching unsolved mysteries as children. I’m kidding. Okay, so I know humans aren’t alone in getting goosebumps. Like lots of furry animals get them too. Like dogs and cats and even hedgehogs, they’ll fluff up to trap heat and make themselves look bigger when they’re threatened. I’ve definitely seen my cat potato fluff up when a loud truck drives by the front of our apartment.
But Sarah, let’s go back to the original question of why do we get them? Like what’s actually happening inside our bodies?
SD: Yeah, so it all starts with our nervous system, goosebumps, or as scientists like to call them piloerection happen when tiny muscles in your skin contract. These muscles are called arrector pili muscles, and they’re connected to your hair follicles. So when those muscles shrink and tighten your skin gets little bumps, which in turn causes your body hair to stand on end.
AC: Interesting.
SD: Right. There’s a quote I love from our story that talks about how our skin is constantly responding to the world. It’s stretching, squishing, getting thicker, getting thinner, moving our hair around to regulate our body temperature and keep things in and out.
AC: Skin: It does so much.
SD: It really does.
AC: So how does our nervous system initiate goosebumps in the first place? What is it reacting to?
SD: Yeah, so your nervous system is basically your body’s command center. Right?
AC: Exactly.
SD: It runs everything. Some things you consciously control, like movement or speech, and others you don’t even think about like your heartbeat or digestion. Goosebumps are specifically triggered by your autonomic nervous system. This is the part of the nervous system that controls all the things in your body you aren’t consciously aware of, like sweating, or in this case, goosebumps.
AC: Because when we get goosebumps, we aren’t sitting there thinking, “Okay, body make my hair stand on end and cover me in tiny bumps.” It just does it automatically.
SD: Right. So one obvious trigger for goosebumps is the cold. When your skin senses a drop in temperature, your autonomic nervous system springs into action. Those tiny muscles in your skin contract, your hairs stand up, and bumps appear. For our furrier ancestors, this is actually pretty important. By standing on end, our hairs would trap a layer of air close to the skin, which acted like insulation to keep your body warm.
AC: Ooh, that sounds cozy.
SD: Yeah, and even though most of us don’t have enough body hair for this to make a big difference anymore, the reflex is still wired into our system.
AC: Right. So why do we get goosebumps when we’re afraid then?
SD: Yeah, I mean, it’s the same process. Basically. Your autonomic nervous system still triggers goosebumps, but the reason behind why we get them when we’re afraid is a little different. Instead of trying to trap heat, now it’s about survival back when our ancestors faced threats like predators. Having your hair stand on end made you look bigger and more intimidating. Even though most humans don’t have enough body hair for that to work today, the reflex still fires. It’s part of that fight or flight response.
AC: Gotcha. I’m always choosing flight, I think, by the way. And what about situations when you’re not actually in danger? Like when you’re watching a scary movie or you know, Unsolved Mysteries when you’re only about seven?
SD: Yeah. So to your autonomic nervous system, the adrenaline surge you get from a jump scare or a job interview isn’t any different from a real life predator. Your body still registers that as a serious threat, even though you, you know, aren’t in any real danger. So your nervous system is still gonna tell your skin to get bumpy and your hair to stand on end. So you look as big and intimidating as possible.
AC: Gotcha. But fear and cold aren’t the only triggers, right? We talked about music and sports and art, and even deja vu, apparently. That can all give us goosebumps. So how does it work?
SD: You’re totally right. Music, art, any feelings of awe or wonder can all trigger goosebumps in people. Scientists sort of think of that as a different phenomenon. Usually they categorize those experiences as getting the chills or what some scientists call frissons. When I get the chills from a full symphony orchestra, or you get the chills from watching Simone Biles win a gold medal, that spine-tingling, shivery sensation doesn’t always mean you get goosebumps. About half the time people report chills without any bumps at all. So goosebumps are the physical, observable response. Your skin muscles pulling on your hair follicles while chills are more of the subjective emotional response.
AC: Ah. So even though I might feel chills while the national anthem plays at a minor league baseball game, that doesn’t necessarily mean I get goosebumps.
SD: Yeah, exactly. And as for why you get goosebumps at a concert or when feeling awe, scientists don’t really know. And here’s another weird thing, if you put an ice pack on your thigh, goosebumps might appear all over your body, not just where it’s cold. Tickling, on the other hand, tends to trigger goosebumps in only a specific localized area. So yeah, your skin is wild. There’s a lot of things we don’t know about why it reacts the way it does.
AC: There’s always more questions.
SD: Always.
AC: I love that goosebumps are essentially a way for our nervous system to say: “Notice this! Pay attention, something important is happening!” It’s a lot like my toddler wanting me to look at her before she leaps off of the sofa.
SD: Yeah, totally. And whether it’s a cold wind, a terrifying movie scene or musical climax causing your goosebumps in that moment, you’re totally aware.
AC: I love that. Goosebumps are like a reminder to pay attention to what you’re feeling.
SD: Or at least grab a jacket.
AC: Well, if you wanna learn more about goosebumps, frissons or chills, check out our full story on Popular Science. You will find it linked in the show notes.
SD: Do it. It’s a very fun one.
AC: And with that, we’ll be back shortly with some thoughts from the man, the myth, the legend: R.L. Stine, the author of course, of the Goosebumps book series.
SD: Well, thank you again, Bob, for being here with us. So to get us started, where did the idea to call your series Goosebumps come from?
R.L. Stine: Well, it’s, I was trying to find a name and one day I was reading TV Guide magazine and there was a tiny little ad on the bottom of a page and it said “It’s goosebumps Week on Channel 11.” And I just stared at it, because I knew that was perfect. It’s funny and scary. It was a perfect word. And that’s really where Goosebumps came from, from that little ad.
SD: Wow, that’s incredible. So if you wrote a new Goosebumps story inspired by the science of goosebumps. What would it be called?
R.L. Stine: Well, we know that the real goosebumps are caused by tiny muscles that raise the hairs on your arm. And I never even really thought about that when we titled the book, but if I was going to write a Goosebumps book about that real process of goosebumps, I would probably call it, oh, “A Hair Raising Adventure,” or maybe something scarier like “Skin Crawler.”
SD: Ooh. Ooh, I like that.
R.L. Stine: That might work.
SD: Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show today. Is there anything you have coming up in the pipeline that you’d like our audience to know about?
R.L. Stine: I have something a little different. I’m going to write an a thriller for adults next year. It’s called “Let’s All Kill Rosalie.”
SD: Hmm. I love that. I’m, I’ll definitely be looking out for that. Thank you so much, it’s been a joy talking to you.
R.L. Stine: Oh, thanks Sarah. I really enjoyed talking with you.
SD: And that’s it for this episode, but don’t worry, we’ve got another brand new Ask Us Anything episode live in our feed right now. Follow or subscribe to Ask us Anything by Popular Science, wherever you enjoy your podcast. And if you like our show, leave a rating and a review.
AC: We care what you think. So please tell us. Our theme music was composed by Kenneth Michael Reagan, and our producer is Alan Haburchak. This episode was based on an article written for Popular Science by RJ Mackenzie.
SD: Thank you team, and thanks everyone for listening.
AC: And one more time: If you want to have your own wonderment explained on a future episode, go to popsci.com/ask. Until next time, keep your questions coming.
The post Why do we get goosebumps? appeared first on Popular Science.
