• Question: What are goosebumps?

    Asked by Steve to Alan, Ciorsdaidh, Lauren, Leonie, Martin, Neil, Shuo on 6 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Lauren Webster

      Lauren Webster answered on 6 Mar 2018:

      Goose bumps are when the very small muscles surrounding each hair contract. When the muscles do this they cause the skin to look like it has a bump on it as well as the hair standing up on end. A hormone called Adrenaline is responsible for the contraction.

    • Photo: Alan McCue

      Alan McCue answered on 9 Mar 2018:

      Good answer here already I see 🙂

    • Photo: Neil Keddie

      Neil Keddie answered on 13 Mar 2018:

      Lauren’s got the answer here again. You get goosebumps as part of your body’s response to ‘fight or flight’, which is an old primitive instinct that we still have. When you’re struck with a potentially dangerous situation where you don’t quite know what to do, your body releases adrenalin to get you ready to make a physical response (stay and face danger – fight, or run away to safety – flight).
      This anticipation response of what your body might do can also be while you’re waiting for something good to happen (think of how you get goosebumps when you hear the first bars of one of your favourite songs that might have really good memories associated with it).

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