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Goose bumps, goosebumps or goose-pimples [1] (also called chill bumps [citation needed]) are the bumps on a person's skin at the base of body hairs which may involuntarily develop when a person is tickled, cold or experiencing strong emotions such as fear, euphoria or sexual arousal.
- Overview
- How do goosebumps develop?
- What are the possible causes of goosebumps?
- Are goosebumps ever a symptom of a medical condition?
Overview
Everyone experiences goosebumps from time to time. When it happens, the hairs on your arms, legs, or torso stand up straight. The hairs also pull up a little bump of skin, the hair follicle, up with them.
As you may have noticed, goosebumps tend to form when you’re cold. They also form when you experience a strong emotional feeling, such as extreme fear, sadness, joy, and sexual arousal.
Goosebumps may also occur during times of physical exertion, even for small activities, like when you’re having a bowel movement. This is because the physical exertion activates your sympathetic, or instinctual, nervous system. Sometimes, goosebumps may crop up for no reason at all.
Many animals also experience what could be categorized as goosebumps, including porcupines and dogs. In these cases, goosebumps are a bodily response to situations where it’s advantageous to appear larger and stronger, such as during a confrontation or courtship.
In humans, experts believe goosebumps are a product of evolution working in a similar way as they’re meant to in nonhuman animals.
On the most basic level, goosebumps can help keep you warm. When you’re cold, the muscle movements that can trigger goosebumps will also warm your body.
In animals, this action also raises hairs in a way that traps air to create insulation. In people, this effect doesn’t do quite as much. Humans have much less body hair than many other nonhuman animals with hair.
In most cases, goosebumps are nothing more than a temporary nuisance. However, goosebumps can be a sign of a long-lasting or serious medical condition. For example, goosebumps can also be a sign of:
•Keratosis pilaris. A harmless and common skin condition that creates the look of goosebumps on the skin for long periods of time.
•Autonomic dysreflexia. An overreaction of the nervous system caused by a spinal cord injury.
•Temporal lobe epilepsy. A chronic seizure disorder.
Nov 14, 2022 · Goosebumps are a strange evolutionary phenomenon triggered by cold temperatures and intense emotions. They’re also experienced by animals. Experts explain why.
- Kayla Blanton
- 2 min
Jul 28, 2020 · Goosebumps occur when tiny muscles in our skin’s hair follicles, called arrector pili muscles, pull hair upright. For animals with thick fur, this response helps keep them warm. But it doesn’t do so for people.
Mar 28, 2023 · According to Dr. Ford, goosebumps, also known as horripilation or piloerections, occur when your sympathetic nervous system triggers the tiny muscles located at the base of each hair follicle — the arrector pili muscles — to contract. That muscle contraction causes the hair to stand on end.
Oct 2, 2020 · What are goosebumps? Why do we get them? Do they serve a purpose? Some of these questions can be answered, others can't. But a recent study in mice links goosebumps to stem cells responsible for the regeneration of hair.
Jul 24, 2023 · You don't get goosebumps only when you're scared. Find out some of the medical reasons you might get them, and what kinds of treatments can help.
