#37 Goosebumps (English)

Goosebumps

What are goosebumps?

Goose pimples or goosebumps are the bumps on a person's skin at the base of body hairs which may develop when a person is cold or experiences strong emotions such as fear, nostalgia, awe, admiration.The reflex of producing goose bumps is known as arasing, piloerection, or the pilomotor reflex. It occurs in many mammals besides humans; a prominent example is porcupines, which raise their quills when threatened.

These stimulants cause a nerve discharge from the sympathetic nervous system and the nerve discharges create muscle contractions called "arrrectores pilorum" that raise the hair follicles in our skin. It is the elevation of the hair that causes the Goosebumps.

-    "The name Goosebumps actually comes from the fact that plucked goose feathers resemble the human hair follicles.".

We cannot control Goosebumps at all and they are also considered a fight or flight response. A fight or flight response is just a physiologic response that is our bodies natural and automatic response from any harm or fight off something, like an enemy or the cold. This leads right into some of the theories for why we get Goosebumps because the reason we get them is still uncertain. Biologists believe that they are a reflex that we developed years and years ago. One theory about Goosebumps suggests that our ancestors, who were much hairy than we are today, appeared bigger and scarier when they had goose bump

Why do we get goose bumps?

The body hair of all mammals automatically stands up when cold, creating a fluffy layer of warmth leading to a homeostatic effect called vasoconstriction we’re cold, the muscles around the hair follicles contract – a reflex left over from when our ancestors had long body hair. But since we don’t have much body hair, all we see are the goose bumps on our skin.

Vasodilation and vasoconstriction occur in order to control blood pressure and body temperature. Vasoconstriction causes the vessel to reduce its diameter, resulting in raised pressure and increase in body temp caused by friction from the blood passing through the internal walls of the vessel. Vasodilation is the exact opposite - if blood pressure or temperature is high, the vessel will increase its diameter in order to lower pressure within and decrease friction.

5 ways to get goosebumps

1.    Listen to a song you love and sing along.
2.    Have someone you trust tickle your back or your arm.
3.    Watch a movie that moves you
4.    Give your time and attention to someone who needs to be heard.
5.    Stand in the rain

Further Research questions about goosebumps-

Why do goosebumps take a log er time to go away when you focus your eye sight on them?
Do goosebumps spread in a specific way or do they occur simultaneously?
How are goosebumps related to heart rate?

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