Scientists Explain Why Music Gives Goosebumps

Have you ever felt goosebumps all over your body when listening to your favorite song? If so, you are among the 50% of people who are affected by the song in this way. But why does this happen?

O awesome.club decided to find out the reason for the “musical shivers”. It turns out that it doesn’t just matter if you like the melody, but also how it was played. But we won’t make you wait, we’ll tell you everything in detail.

Your body doesn’t let it go unnoticed when the song on your playlist is selected by some radio. The heart beats faster, pupils dilate, body temperature rises, and blood flows to the legs. The cerebellum becomes more active, dopamine increases and it makes you feel goosebumps.

Scientists have discovered that music influences the reward system of the brain and causes the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine. The greatest number of transmissions occur before the culmination of the song: our head is constantly guessing what is going to happen next, something that, from an evolutionary point of view, is a good habit. The longer we wait for the end, the stronger the emissions will be.

It also occurs when we guess a change of pace, the introduction of another instrument or the introduction of a single instrument. These details make the nucleus accumbens (NAC) start working more actively, triggering the rise of dopamine and then the chills. It is curious to know that this same effect is caused by sex, drugs and gambling on other people.

As we mentioned at the beginning, not everyone has this reaction. During a study, it was found that people who experience this sensation have a more powerful center for processing emotions, which means they are able to perceive them more strongly. Musicians often have this trait. Another study showed that “people who feel the chills” are more likely to have a new experience and have a higher level of curiosity and creativity than others.

The genre of music does not influence this phenomenon. Whether techno, classical or rock, structure is more significant than style. Our brain likes the element of “surprise”, for example, changing instruments or relaxing a melody.

What kind of music gives you goosebumps? Tell our team in the comments! We will try to create our own list of the most impactful songs.