When you feel cold or scared, tiny bumps pop up on your skin! 🥶 They look like the skin of a plucked chicken, so we call them "goosebumps."
Your body does this to try to keep you warm or to make you look bigger if you're scared—just like animals do! 🐾
Goosebumps happen when tiny muscles under your skin tighten, making your hairs stand up! 🌬️ This is called the "piloerection" reflex.
When you're cold, your body tries to trap warm air near your skin. When you're scared or excited, it's an old reflex from when humans had more hair—it made them look bigger to scare away danger! 🦁
Goosebumps are caused by the contraction of tiny muscles called arrector pili attached to hair follicles. When activated (by cold, fear, or strong emotions), they pull the hair upright. ❄️
This reflex dates back to our evolutionary ancestors: fluffed fur trapped heat (for warmth) or made them appear larger (to deter predators). Humans retained this response even though we lost most body hair!
Interestingly, goosebumps can also occur during emotional moments—like listening to music—because adrenaline is released, triggering the same muscles. 🎶