Why You Have ‘Goosebumps’ on Your Skin

Goosebumps pop up for a variety of reasons, like when you get the chills or have a sudden feeling of fear or excitement. They’ve happened to every one of us at some point in our lives. But have you ever stopped to think about what’s actually raising your skin?

Family medicine nurse practitioner Sara Fandino, APRN, explains the biological and psychological reasons behind the phenomenon, as well as whether goosebumps could be a sign of a more serious medical issue.

What are goosebumps?

Goosebumps, or piloerections, are an involuntary, automatic reaction that occurs whenever your sympathetic nervous system (or fight-or-flight mode) is triggered. In response, tiny muscles contract at the base of each hair follicle. This causes your hairs to bristle or stand on end, resulting in tiny bumps. These can occur anywhere on your body where you have hair, like your neck, arms or legs.

What causes goosebumps?

Beyond cold weather temps, goosebumps can pop up automatically as part of our fight-or-flight response and as a result of other psychological and neurological processes that include:

• Intense or sudden feelings of fear, shock, anger or excitement
• Intimacy and sexual arousal
• Frisson, or psychogenic shivers, that occur in relation to external stimuli like music, movies, autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) or an empowering speech

Why do they happen?

A recent study discovered the nerves that cause tiny muscles to contract beneath hair follicles are the same nerves that stimulate hair follicle stem cells and future hair growth. So, it makes sense why cold weather may result in the thickening of an animal’s fur, in addition to causing their hair to stand on end. The result is that they appear larger and more of a threat to other predators. (Think of a cat that puffs up and pulls back onto its hind legs while it hisses).

But here in the human world, goosebumps don’t appear to have much of a purpose beyond helping us conserve heat. When we’re exposed to a sudden drop in temperature or get the chills, our hair follicles are forced to rise up, closing our pores and trapping what remaining body heat we have underneath the surface of our skin. Conserving heat is very important not only because of the mild discomfort that we may feel when we get cold, but also because it’s essential for the optimal function of our bodies.

“Maintaining a stable temperature is crucial for our overall health, and the human body is perfectly designed to inform us when things are jeopardizing our well-being,” says Fandino. “It’s amazing to see how effective the human body is at communicating dangers through different, simple signals that something could be wrong, while at the same time, reminding us that it’s always working to protect us.”

Should you ever be concerned about goosebumps?

Goosebumps themselves are nothing to worry about. But every once in a while, if they’re persistent without any known cause, they can be a symptom of an underlying condition like:

• Keratosis pilaris. This common condition is caused by your hair follicles being blocked by keratin deposits, resulting in rough, bumpy, dry and red skin. Moisturizers, creams and gentle skin care can help soothe your symptoms.
• Anxiety. Chills are a common feature of both generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic attacks. If you’re getting chills on a regular basis, along with other symptoms, you may want to schedule an appointment with a therapist.
• Withdrawal. Your skin can bristle and become clammy if you’re dealing with withdrawal from opioids, alcohol, nicotine or other substances. An addiction counselor can provide much-needed support when these symptoms surface.
• Seizures. While rare, some people get goosebumps in the lead-up to or during a seizure, especially if you’re living with left temporal lobe epilepsy.
• Autonomic dysreflexia. Autonomic dysreflexia is a potentially life-threatening condition that involves an overreaction of your autonomic nervous system following a spinal cord injury. The goosebumps that occur with this condition aren’t dangerous themselves, but the most common symptom is a sudden and severe spike in blood pressure.

Bottom line? While there are rare instances when goosebumps may suggest a medical issue, they’re usually just an outward reflection of big emotions or a literal chill. If anything, they’re your body’s response to the world around you and a helpful reminder that your internal biological processes are wonderfully complex and wide-ranging.