A cold chill (also known as chills, the chills or simply thrills) is described by David Huron as, "a pleasant tingling feeling, associated with the flexing of hair follicles resulting in goose bumps (technically called piloerection), accompanied by a cold sensation, and sometimes producing a shudder or shiver." Cold chills are a purely subjective response and, unlike piloerection, no objective physiological measure of cold chills exists. Unlike shivering, however, it is not caused by temperature, but rather is an emotionally triggered response when one is deeply affected by things such as music, speech, or recollection. It is similar to autonomous sensory meridian response; both sensations consist of a pleasant tingling feeling that affects the skin on the back of the neck and spine.
However, cold chills should not be confused with piloerection. Recent research has shown that self-reported chills do not correspond with observable piloerection, suggesting that they are independent phenomena.
See also
References
Maruskin, Laura A.; Todd M. Thrash; Andrew J. Elliot (7 May 2012). "The Chills as a Psychological Construct: Content Universe, Factor Structure, Affective Composition, Elicitors, Trait Antecedents, and Consequences". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 103 (1): 135–157. doi:10.1037/a0028117. PMID 22564010. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
David Huron. Biological Templates for Musical Experience: From Fear to Pleasure. Abstract Archived 2016-05-14 at the Wayback Machine http://www.music-cog.ohio-state.edu/Huron/Talks/2006/ISNM/abstract.html ↩
Panksepp, J. (1995). "The emotional sources of chills induced by music" (PDF). Music Perception. 13 (2): 171–207. doi:10.2307/40285693. JSTOR 40285693. http://mp.ucpress.edu/content/13/2/171.full.pdf ↩
McPhetres, Jonathon; Han, Ailin; Gao, Halo H.; Kemp, Nicole; Khati, Bhakti; Pu, Cathy X.; Smith, Abbie; Shui, Xinyu (September 2024). "Individuals lack the ability to accurately detect emotional piloerection". Psychophysiology. 61 (9). doi:10.1111/psyp.14605. ISSN 0048-5772. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/psyp.14605 ↩