I wondered what exactly causes this? For example when I look at clusters of holes (trypophpbia) or nasty mold I have a feeling like my skin is crawling, it’s almost itchy.
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[Formication](https://www.verywellhealth.com/skin-crawling-formication-5323977) is a tactile hallucination associated with certain brain disorders and drug recovery.
You might just mean [goose bumps](https://www.healthline.com/health/goosebumps-on-skin#how-they-develop). Those pop up whenever you’re cold, emotional, or even pooping. From the article:
“Goosebumps may also occur during times of physical exertion, even for small activities, like when you’re having a bowel movement. This is because the physical exertion activates your sympathetic, or instinctual, nervous system. Sometimes, goosebumps may crop up for no reason at all.“
I think goosebumps while pooping is a byproduct, but pretty much all other times goosebumps pop up is when you might need to look bigger than you actually are.
We are thought to have developed some evolutionary defences against things like ticks and bugs which attack us through our skin. One of them is an itchiness or desire to scratch (dislodging or removing such bugs). [Here is one paper on it](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.0376)
Specific types of revulsion / disgust seems to trigger those itchy / skin crawling sensations, usually when the thing we are disgusted by would attract or represent bugs. EG: looking at small holes (where bugs hide), seeing decay or mold (which attracts bugs), seeing spider webs, etc. It is a group of sensations that makes you want to touch and rub your skin. That feeling of ‘disgust’ that accompanies it may similarly be an evolutionary avoidance defence.
Other types of stimula instead trigger other defence mechanisms, IE seeing spoiled food usually instead triggers nausea (our defence after eating bad food), seeing something sudden and scary can trigger shouting/screaming (posturing defence against predators / attacking animals).
Why do I get that same feeling when people walk behind me?
Many years ago, I was home alone at night. All of a sudden, on the far end of the living room, I see a spider crawling away. I am terrified of spiders.
What follows is probably the stupidest moment of my life.
I see the spider crawling, I see it so far away from me, and yet I immediately believe (for some reason) that is it actually crawling on me. I scream my eyes out, rip my t-shirt off me and throw it away from me.
It lands on the floor. The spider didn’t even take notice, it was way too far away, and disappears. I, a shirtless idiot, is still standing there, speechless, wondering what just happened.
Old people lack confidence. They were once beautiful young people and now they are near their inevitable end.
Lack of confidence affects the posture and one tends to slouch.
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