Why do some sounds and feelings, like running your nails on a chalkboard, give you that shivering feeling everyone hates?

Question

Why do some sounds and feelings, like running your nails on a chalkboard, give you that shivering feeling everyone hates?

In: Biology

Answer 1

The best answer I can think of which may or may not be correct is because of innate behavior. Thousands of years ago our ancestors had harsh living conditions and the most cautious survived. When they heard or felt something off they freaked out because it doesn’t belong, hence they became alerted from the threat.

Even though we have nothing to fear from the sound of nails on a chalkboard, it is something that doesn’t belong, causing us to think back to our innate behaviors of survival.

Like Lovecraft once said, “The greatest fear is the fear of the unknown.”