Why do you feel goosepumps when hearing things like plastic or metal being scrat!
Question:
Why do you feel goosepumps when hearing things like plastic or metal being scratched?
Answers:
This may sound kind of dry and technical, but the mechanism of piloerection (goosebumps) has to do with your natural reflexes to external stimuli.
Fear and temperature both have strong effects on piloerection (goosebumps) through autonomic nervous systems feedback systems. These are mediated
like other emotion-linked autonomic reflexes by routing through the limbic system. These other emotion-linked autonomic reflexes include blushing, blanching, butterflies in the stomach.
The limbic system is the site of primitive drives: sex, fear, rage, aggression and hunger. Anatomical sites for the limbic system include amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus, uncus, subcallosal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, fornix, dentate gyrus, hypothalamus and hippocampus. These are found
around a major structure called the thalamus which receives virtually all sensory input. The medial forebrain bundle is a bidirectional communication with the brainstem which then directly mediates autonomic reflexes. A second method of invoking the autonomic reflexes is through the hypothalamus which also sends nerve projections to the brainstem.
Specifically, direct stimulation of the amygdala and hypothalamus evokes the piloerection pathway. It's in these physical structures that emotional stimulation by music or the reading of poetry, etc. can result in piloerection. So also non-pleasant and/or unexpected sounds may elicit a fight or flight reaction, which may include piloerection (goosebumps)!
BTW, the hippocampus is also involved in learning and memory, suggesting the importance of emotions on learning and the reason why background music can help with learning.
Hope that helps answer your questions!