What physically happens when you get a “chill down your spine”?
In: 25
Basically your spinal muscles squeeze and retract in order to try and produce heat after a sudden hit of cold
There’s an actual medical term for it: a frisson!
It’s not exactly known what causes it, but it seems to involve your brain’s reward system triggering a response from your sympathetic nervous system, the part of your nervous system that’s involved in fight-or-flight. It also might involve the opioid receptors in your nervous system.
It’s a highly individualized response — that is, it’s different for everyone.
I’m pretty sure it’s your ape brain trying to raise your hackles down your spine. You also see this on dogs and other animals when excited or scared.
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