[TIL] Why Do We Have Chills and Goosebumps When Listening To Music? Detailed explanation

in #til8 years ago (edited)

In general terms the Experience is called chills, a French terment means basically "aesthetic thrill" and experience the waves of pleasure felt on the skin. Some researchers have dubbed the feeling as " orgasm skin "
Surely it happened to listen a gorgeous song so you have chills and feel a chill that goes down your spine while you get goose bumps.


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Listen to music that emotionally impression is the most common trigger of chills, but these experiences can be relived when we look at great art or when you watch a impressive scene from a movie, or have physical contact with another person .

Studies have shown that about two-thirds of the world population experiences a moment or another chills (such sensations lovers have even created a discussion page on Reddit , where you share your favorite resources they produce chills). But the question remains: why some people experience such chills and others do not?

What causes that strong emotion, followed by a sensation of coldness?

While scientists still make out the secrets of this phenomenon, a number consistent research in the last five decades has joined origins shiver the way we react emotionally to unexpected stimuli in the environment, in particular the music .

Musical passages including agreements unexpected, abrupt change in volume or a soloist exciting overture, individuals are triggers you chills because "cheating" audience expectations in a positive manner. We offer below an example of reference of the "unsuspecting" Susan Boyle in the show Britain's Got Talent, where a number of factors, hearing and visual ambience (audience and jury), voice and presentation together produce as you see, chills.

If a solo violin plays a emotional passage that load into a beautiful high note, the listener can find much emotional in this crescendo and then to feel a thrill when witnesses the successful execution of such heavy music.

But scientists are still trying to find the connection between these creeps and the emergence of the phenomenon of "goosebumps"

Some scientists have suggested that arousal skin is a remnant of evolution inherited from our ancestors to ... hairy, who managed to maintain body heat through a layer endothermic, stopped just below the hair from the skin.
Experiencing "goosebumps" after a quick change in temperature (such as exposure to a cooling breeze unexpected in a sunny, warm), up and then down temporarily hairs on the body, resetting this layer of heat mentioned above.

Since we invented garments, people had less need for this layer endothermic heat. But the physiological structure of the mechanism still works and it is possible that this mechanism could be "reprogrammed" to produce aesthetic thrills strong emotional reaction to stimuli, and extraordinary beauty in art or nature.

Investigations into the prevalence varies considerably shivering, with studies showing the percentage of the population between 55% and 86% , which may experience the effect of "chills."


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Skin monitoring response to music

He started from the premise that if a person is listening to a country steeped in musical cognitive, then that person has an increased predisposition to experiencing chills, as a result of the increased attention that a stimulus grant. It was also considered the theory that the probability of a person to become cognitively seized in a wide musical from the beginning is a result of that person's personality type.

To test this hypothesis, participants were invited into a lab and connect to a device that measure galvanic skin response , a measure, therefore, of how the electrical resistance of the skin of a man change when they are excited physiologically.

Participants were then invited to hear some country music, while laboratory assistants monitored the participants' responses in real time to the music.

Examples musical areas used in the study include:

• The first two minutes and 11 seconds of the song J.S. Bach: St. John Passion BWV 245 Part 1 1. Chorus: "Herr, unser Herrscher"
• The first two minutes and 18 seconds of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1: II
• The first 53 seconds of the song from Air Supply - Making Love Out Of Nothing At All
• The first three minutes and 21 seconds of the song the band Vangelis Mythodea: 6 Movement
• The first two minutes of the song composer Hans Zimmer Oogway Ascends

Each of these pieces contain at least an exciting time known to be causing chills to the audience. For example, the fragment of Bach, the tension built by the orchestra during the first 80 seconds is finally released to the entry of the choir - a particle load moment that has big chances to stir chills.

As the test participants listened to music these areas, laboratory assistants asked them to mark experiencing chills by pressing a small button, which mark a time log of each audition session.
By comparing this data with measurements of physiological and personality test that participants have completed specialists have succeeded, for the first time to draw some conclusions unique explain why some people experience chills more often than others.


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This graph indicates the reaction of a listener during the experiment. Peak moments of each line represents the participant was excited by music played, cognitive or emotional. In this case, each of these peaks coincided with the excitement of living of a participant reporting chills in response to music played. This participant had a high score in the opening experience trait of his personality.


The role of personality

Personality Test results have shown that listeners who experienced chills had a high score in personality trait called Opening the experience .

Studies have shown that individuals who possess this trait manifests an unusually active imagination, and appreciate the beauty of nature, seeking new experiences, often deeply reflect on the feelings they experience and love variety in their lives.

Some aspects of that personality traits are inherited by emotional (love the variety, beauty appreciation), while others are cognitive (imagination, intellectual curiosity).

While previous research had connected by opening experience chills, most researchers have concluded that they experienced chills listeners as a result of deep emotional reactions they lived in music they listened.

In contrast, the study shows the cognitive components of "openness to experience" - such as issuing mental predictions about how it will develop music played, or immersion in imaging musical (a form of processing music that combines obedience daydreaming) - cognitive components, so that chills are associated with a greater emotional to components.
These findings recently published in the journal Psychology of Music, indicates that those who are steeped in intellectual music (not just let it go through them) can experience chills more often and more intensely than others.

My favourite relaxing music is Roberto Cacciapaglia - Figlia Del Cielo.

When do you have experienced goosebumps?

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I'm with you on this. I experience tears and goosebumps and I can feel my heart swell (I'm sure it's not) when I see beautiful sunsets, nature hikes and some music. My mood at the time dictates the intensity.
Great post. !

Thank you for your feedback! all emotions in 3 words: sunsets, nature, music :)



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Very nice well documented post (with plenty of nice links) on the chair de poule, as they say in French, and its connection to music. We thank you for sharing this knowledge with the community.

As a bonus, and in addition to resteeming for exposure. We are awarding you a small 5 Steem Power deposit as a thank you for creating quality STEM related postings on Steemit. We hope you will continue to educate us all!

I really appreciate your support!
Thank you!

Good Techno Music always gives me goosebumps!

nice to hear that!

People should really check this post out, fantastic job. Resteemed.

Thank you so much for resteem!

Really nice post! Guess i'm a emocional person, i got chills often!