It’s official: people who get music goose bumps are awesome
Music goose bumps; now there’s a thing.
Photo credit: Rafaela Alves
Science is on the side of goose bumps, so get gigging!
A few months ago we reported on the work of Matthew Sachs from Harvard University, who set out to get underneath the skin of goosies and what brings them about- after all, it’s not a biological survival tactic.
He found intensity of lyrics, rising pitch, harmonic intervals and collective crowd singing to be key factors in these goosebump-giving moments, even equating this sensation into mathematical form.
His next move was to take it from the lab to the stage and with the help of Barclaycard they did just that.
In the study, participants watched a 45-minute performance at a summer music festival of which 55% reported experiencing goose bumps during it while the rest did not.
The results
The researchers monitored every individual’s physiological response as well as asking them about their outlook on life and their own mental and physical perceptions of health before comparing results.
The overall results of the study reveal those who experienced this tingly phenomenon during a live show to be more creative, generous, positive, and in better physical health than those who don’t.
“The results of the Barclaycard study are the first to show a correlation between different personality traits and people who experience goosebumps,” Professor Robin Murphy explains. “The evidence suggests that being truly connected with live entertainment and getting goosebumps has an impact on our overall sense of well-being and mood.”
There you have it; music goose bumps are the way to a healthier being and to being a nice human, so they say.
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