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Why do we get goosebumps?
Thanks for asking.
The term goosebumps first appeared as far back as the 17th century.
It describes the well-known phenomenon which shows up when we're cold, scared or simply feeling strong emotions.
For example, going out underdressed in winter, hearing the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard or watching a horror film.
It makes our skin look like poultry, doesn't it?
Yes, indeed, it can seem rather odd.
But just like everything our bodies do, there's a very logical explanation as to why it exists.
Goosebumps are caused by the contraction of small muscles called erector pili muscles, which are attached to our hair follicles.
When that happens, hairs on our bodies are forced up.
This reflex is also known as piloerection.
Our skin is actually covered in thermoreceptors, which are known as Krauss's corpuscles.
They can detect the slightest change in temperature and then send messages to the hypothalamus in the brain, which you could call our centralized thermostat.
If it detects an extreme change, it tells our erector pili muscles to contract to bring heat back.
It was very useful for our cave-dwelling ancestors.
What about these days?
Well, goosebumps aren't really much help to us in the modern age.
That said, the thin barrier of hairs standing on their ends does at least make for a small layer of isolated air, which may somewhat protect us from the cold.
That helps us regulate our body temperature, which should always be consistent at around 37 degrees.
Writing for the Harvard Health School website, senior faculty editor Robert Schmerling suggested that goosebumps may help us retain heat in three different ways.
Helping our skin muscles contract and thereby generate heat, causing our pores to close and forming a layer of air close to the skin in order to keep heat in.
He noted that it's more effective in animals with fur, but in humans it's a relic of evolution.
Just like the coccyx, which is the end of where our ancestors' tails started.
Goosebumps doesn't really offer much use these days, but they still get passed down from generation to generation.
Can we control when goosebumps appear?
For most of us, getting goosebumps is simply a reflex.
But some people are actually able to prompt their own goosebumps, an ability known as Voluntarily Generated Pillow Erection, or VGP for short.
A study published in PeerJ Journal in 2018 referred to at least three recorded different case studies from the past.
It does seem to require a lot of training though.
The study referred to VGP as a rare and unusual physiological ability.
Experts have compared it to conditioning oneself to cry on demand.
There you have it.
Now you know why we get goosebumps.
In under three minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines.
Listen along and you will really know for sure.
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