Prompt Cast
The Evolutionary Purpose of Goosebumps and How They Can Be Triggered
TLDR Goosebumps are an evolutionary holdover that serve the purposes of keeping us warm and making us appear bigger to predators, but they can also be triggered by emotionally evocative things such as music. Studies have shown that certain types of music, like Prince's "Purple Rain," can elicit goosebumps in listeners, particularly during moments of tension and emotional release.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Goosebumps are an evolutionary holdover and are not meant for kids, as seen in the Fear Street series on Netflix.
02:29
Goosebumps are an evolutionary holdover that can be consciously controlled and serve the purposes of keeping us warm and making us appear bigger to predators.
04:55
Goosebumps are useless in humans because we don't have enough hair to warm ourselves or appear bigger, but our goosebumps response can be hijacked by emotionally evocative things.
07:21
Studies have been done to see what kind of goosebumps people can experience when they listen to certain music.
09:39
Purple Rain scored a 100% chill ratio in a study, with every participant experiencing shivers and half getting goosebumps, particularly when Prince starts vocally wailing at the end of the song.
12:00
The theory is that the tension built up from perceiving a threat and then realizing it's not actually a threat is what causes the pleasurable sensation of goosebumps, but it's not the only factor and there's still more to be understood.
14:28
The type of emotion that triggers goosebumps is usually something sad, deeply romantic, or hopeful, and it can also be caused by a chilling reveal or a solo voice that mimics a separation call.
Categories:
Society & Culture
