Reasons for Fear Goosebumps

That feeling of dread people experience when fear takes over may be caused by a scary movie or a genuinely dangerous situation. Either way, the body responds in a certain way to try and help people deal with the fear. One of the less obviously useful ways your body may deal with fear is to cover you in goosebumps, but as with everything else, there is a scientific reason behind this phenomenon.

Why "Goose" Bumps?

• The phrase "goosebumps" derives from the appearance of poultry after it has been plucked, i.e. cold, clammy and covered in tiny bumps. As these observations could be made of any poultry, it is strange that "goosebumps" has specifically stuck, when "turkeybumps" or "duckbumps" would be just as accurate. In fact, while other English-speaking nations and regions have their own variations on the phrase---for example, "goosepimples" or "gooseflesh"---the goose component of the word remains unchanged.

What Causes Them?

• The physical reasoning behind the appearance of tiny bumps on your skin when you are cold or scared recalls the days when humans had thick coverings of fur on their bodies. When these early humans got cold, tiny muscles in their flesh would contract to make individual strands of fur stand on end, trapping a layer of air within the fur and keeping them warm.

Responses to Fear

• One theory about why people experience goosebumps when they are scared has arisen from studying mammals. When a mammal is attacked, it will frequently make its hair stand on end and arch its back, making it appear larger and less of an easy prey. This pre-historic response to danger has been blamed for giving people goosebumps even now. Another theory is that it is simply part of an emotional reaction to a highly stressful event. The shock that you experience when you are scared causes the body to produce the adrenaline hormone in preparation to either fight or flee. This hormone causes you to feel stressed and also causes your muscles to contract, causing goosebumps.

More Responses to Fear

• The release of adrenaline leads to hormonal imbalances within the body that are rectified by muscle contraction and relaxation, which increases blood and the distribution of hormones. This increased muscle activity causes phenomena such as goosebumps and shivers, which are normally associated with being cold. The skin in certain areas will also feel cold, as blood drains elsewhere and the flesh itself is cooled by perspiration.