Why Do We Get Goosebumps and Chills When We're Scared? - Polidicks

[QUOTE]For the same reason cats fluff up when they’re threatened. “The general principle is, if you are going to be attacked, try to look as big as you can,” says David Huron, a musicologist at Ohio State University. People don’t have as much hair as cats, but goose bumps are a holdover from when we were furrier. Hair-raising itself began as a response to cold. When hair stands on end, it traps an insulating layer of air around the body. But at some point millions of years ago, one of our chilly, puffed-up ancestors scared away a would-be attacker, and hair-raising was slowly established as a useful defense mechanism. The heritage of this physiological response explains why fear is associated with cold. Puffing up was a matter of temperature first and fear second—but you can still get shivers down your spine when you’re scared, Huron says. The upending of our expectations can give us chills, too, Huron says. And shivers can crop up when we feel any sort of surprise or intense emotion, even in music: a change in volume or the moment a singer begins singing. People usually get the chills at tonally “sad” passages, says Jaak Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Washington State University. He also hypothesizes that certain tones in music mimic a “human separation cry,” and that shivers result from the perception of losing a loved one. The same moment in the same song can give someone chills over and over again—the response resists habituation, Huron says. “The brain can tolerate thousands of false alarms in order to protect us from the one occasion when the alarm is real,” he says. Which is why when we know we are safe—at a scary movie, for example—those false alarms can be a source of pleasure. “One part of your brain is saying, ‘Oh my god, I’m gonna die!’ ” Huron says. “But the conscious part is saying that everything is OK. Which makes shivers feel good.”[/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-10/fyi-why-do-we-get-goose-bumps-and-chills-when-were-scared[/url]

Isn't it a vestigial trait? To make ourselves appear larger when threatened? Except we don't have enough body hair to make it useful. This isn't really news, I learnt about this in school.

How is that news ? I learned that 7 or 8 years ago in a book that was already old back then.

Welcome to 'fun science facts I learned last friggen century'

I didn't know this.

[QUOTE=Eudoxia;33025272]I didn't know this.[/QUOTE] At least SOMEONE appreciated my halloweenish themed news article for the holiday :(

[QUOTE=Doozle;33025041]Isn't it a vestigial trait? To make ourselves appear larger when threatened? Except we don't have enough body hair to make it useful.[/QUOTE] That's what the article just said..

[QUOTE=TheCloak;33025307]That's what the article just said..[/QUOTE] I didn't read the article [editline]29th October 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;33025296]At least SOMEONE appreciated my halloweenish themed news article for the holiday :([/QUOTE] I'm sorry, have a heart for effort :)

Chimpanzees do the same thing when they're pissed off or afraid.

[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;33025841]Chimpanzees do the same thing when they're pissed off or afraid.[/QUOTE]They also fuck up your face

[QUOTE]Eudoxia[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Eudoxia;33025272]didn't know this.[/QUOTE] Does not compute

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;33025296]At least SOMEONE appreciated my halloweenish themed news article for the holiday :([/QUOTE] I figured it out myself but still, have a heart [img]http://www.facepunch.com/fp/ratings/heart.png[/img]

But why do we get goosebumps when we see/hear something really awesome?

[QUOTE=Beaverlake;33027600]But why do we get goosebumps when we see/hear something really awesome?[/QUOTE] I was just about to ask this.

[QUOTE=Beaverlake;33027600]But why do we get goosebumps when we see/hear something really awesome?[/QUOTE] Think about it. What do you call "something awesome" ? Something that impresses you, like an amazing song or an incredible moment in a film. They always picture something strong and powerful, which is exactly what a sudden fear is like - it's sudden, unexpected, impressive and overwhelming. You're having goosebumps when seeing/hearing something awesome because the said something is actually frightening.

I don't get goosebumps when I'm scared, am I missing something here?

[QUOTE=Coffee;33029283]I don't get goosebumps when I'm scared, am I missing something here?[/QUOTE] Your body is either retarded and insensitive or you are more evolved than the average human being. Pick your choice.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;33025296]At least SOMEONE appreciated my halloweenish themed news article for the holiday :([/QUOTE] He's not the only one. Just saying.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;33025296]At least SOMEONE appreciated my halloweenish themed news article for the holiday :([/QUOTE] Thanks man, I never knew this before either. Time to get as hairy as a guerrilla and scare off some mofos.

Whenever I'm in danger, my hair stands up. Since I have long viking hair, I easily assume the appearance of a male lion with a very large, Aryan mane. I also like to hold my balls. I'm not sure what the significance of that is, exactly, but I know it to be crucial to my survival.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;33025296]At least SOMEONE appreciated my halloweenish themed news article for the holiday :([/QUOTE] I didn't link the theme of the thread with halloween until you said it