Why and how do you get goosebumps when hearing a good song or singing?
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It’s called frisson. This apparently doesn’t happen to everyone but it seems to be related to something known as the “holy shiver” which is a feeling one might get before doing something courageous or selfless. It gives you a feeling of something larger than yourself which is probably why it can be elicited by emotional music. This is also thought to have evolved from the type of reaction which will cause a cat’s hair to stand up when they are threatened.
In our church’s Christmas Eve service, there is a brilliant soprano who sings “O Holy Night.” She is accompanied by a string quartet, but sings the last verse a capella. When she hits that dramatic high C, it fills the sanctuary to the rafters and gives me goosebumps. I thought I was the only one, but other people came up to her afterwards saying the same thing.
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