 | This article needs more reliable medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources. (January 2018) |  |
| Goosebumps | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Goose-pimples, goose-skin, goose-flesh, cutis anserina, horripilation, horripilatio |
 | |
| Goose-bumps on a human arm | |
| Specialty | Dermatology |
Goose bumps, goosebumps or goose-pimples[1] (also called chill bumps[citation needed]) are the bumps on a person's skin at the base of body hairs which may involuntarily develop when a person is tickled, cold or experiencing strong emotions such as fear, euphoria or sexual arousal.[2][3]
The formation of goose bumps in humans under stress is considered by some to be a vestigial reflex,[4] though visible piloerection is associated with changes in skin temperature in humans.[5] The reflex of producing goose bumps is known as piloerection or the pilomotor reflex, or, more traditionally,[6] horripilation. It occurs in many mammals; a prominent example is porcupines,[7] which raise their quills when threatened, or sea otters when they encounter sharks or other predators.
- ^ "Goosebumps noun – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com".
- ^ McPhetres, Jonathon; Zickfeld, Janis H. (2022-09-01). "The physiological study of emotional piloerection: A systematic review and guide for future research" (PDF). International Journal of Psychophysiology. 179: 6–20. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.06.010. ISSN 0167-8760. PMID 35764195. S2CID 250058771.
- ^ McPhetres, Jonathon (2024-08-15). "Diverse stimuli induce piloerection and yield varied autonomic responses in humans". Biology Open. 13 (8). doi:10.1242/bio.060205. ISSN 2046-6390. PMC 11391818. PMID 38989667.
- ^ Darwin, Charles (1872). "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals". London: John Murray. pp. 101–103.
- ^ McPhetres, Jonathon (2024-08-15). "Diverse stimuli induce piloerection and yield varied autonomic responses in humans". Biology Open. 13 (8). doi:10.1242/bio.060205. ISSN 2046-6390. PMC 11391818. PMID 38989667.
- ^ OUP. "horripilation". Oxford English Dictionary.
- ^ Chapman, David M.; Roze, Uldis (1997-01-01). "Functional histology of quill erection in the porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 75 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1139/z97-001. ISSN 0008-4301.