The power of music
Music is one of the most beautiful and powerful forms of art and of expression. It is emotion, energy, and memory all rolled into one and appeals to the hearing power of the human. It can make them smile, cry, dance, and even just stop for a moment to appreciate the things in life or reminisce about them. And sometimes, we hear a piece of music, or tune, or beat so beautiful or eerie, it gives us goosebumps. Have you ever wondered why this happens?
What exactly are goosebumps?
Goosebumps, also known as ‘piloerections’ are small bumps that appear on the skin, especially on the hands and legs, when tiny muscles at the base of hair follicles contract. This happens in response to strong emotions, cold temperatures, or fear.
The phrase ‘made my hair stand up’ comes from the concept of goosebumps that people had after a scare or being run over with emotions.
When can goosebumps happen?
Goosebumps are basically our body’s reaction to a certain situation and setting. One can get goosebumps when they are looking at something scary, when they are feeling chilly, when they are listening to emotional music, or when they feel something crawling around.
And so from weather changes to emotional feelings, and from tense moments to certain kinds of music, anything can trigger goosebumps in people.
The energy of certain beats
The beats and rhythms in a song decide how we react to music. From ‘beatdrops’ in rock music, to the high pitches of emotional songs, it is the mix of beat and rhythm that decides how people engage with the music. And according to some people, the musical changes that come during the songs can make the brain go into a deep feeling or emotion, which results in goosebumps.
Employing the hearing part of human senses, music makes people feel and thus results in the body’s response as goosebumps.
Why do some people experience this
One of the biggest reasons some people experience these goosebumps while others do not is that some are just more connected to music, and feel things deeply. People who have been related to music or those who understand well, connect with the tunes and rhymes at a deeper level, enabling them to pick up on the small changes in rhythm, melody, and pitch.
Some also say that people who get chills or goosebumps from music are often more expressive and open to imagination.
The relatability and expectations
One of the biggest reasons music gives people goosebumps is because of how it appeals to our situations and our expectations. Whatever we are feeling in life, we tend to read about the same feelings, listen to the same genre of music, or even see movies with a similar storyline. And so when our brain and our heart senses something relatable, even ending in the expectation we hold, it startles us to an extent, and makes us feel deeply, thereby resulting in goosebumps.
It could also happen that certain songs are tied to some memories, and to relive those makes people have ‘chills’.
SOURCE: THE TIMES OF INDIA
