Why Does One Get Goosebumps?
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How Goosebumps Form
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The thousands of tiny "bumps" you notice all over your body when you become chilled or excited are affectionately known as "goosebumps." Your skin and hair are responsible for creating these goosebumps. Each hair "follicle" in your skin consists of the hair shaft, a two-layered sheath, and little muscles, called the erector pili muscles.
Reasons for Goosebumps
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When subjected to one or more causative factors, such as cold air or water against the skin, an adrenaline rush or a fear response, several processes come into play.
From a physiologic perspective, the formation of goosebumps is the body's way of protecting itself from the external elements by causing the hair follicles to straighten up, thus preserving body heat.
Some people say they can cause goosebumps to form merely on command by just remembering a harrowing experience.
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Mechanics of Goosebumps
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When a stimulus is present, the body begins its response by causing the erector pili muscles to contract. This, in turn, causes the hair shaft to become erect, or to stand up straight. As this mechanism unfolds, there is tension on the skin as the muscles contract and the hair shaft literally "stands up," causing a small bump at the skin level of the hair follicle.
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- Photo Credit Courtesy of Google Images
