Does Certain Music Give You Chills? Here’s What It Might Mean

You know the feeling. Listening to certain songs can deliver an experience beyond explanation, where all your body knows to do is shiver in the presence of this grand emotional moment. The hair on your arms stands tall and the moment takes over. In France they call this "frissons." Here, we call it the chills.

Evidently, this physical phenomenon in reaction to music doesn't happen to everyone. Studies show those of us who experience the physical phenomenon of musically induced chills usually have more active imaginations and reflect more deeply on emotions. Turns out that not only does your skin tingle, but brain scans show chill-prone individuals may be hard-wired for stronger emotions.

"We found that people who reliably and frequently get the chills from music have more fibers connecting the auditory cortex to the emotional feeling and emotional processing states," says lead study author Matt Sachs, in an interview with the University of Southern California.

But why does certain music do this to us while other music doesn't? Reader's Digest suggests a few commonalities in chill-inducing music, including songs that build with anticipation, citing Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" and Pink Floyd's "Great Gig In The Sky."

Other musical elements that strike a nerve are moments that "subvert expectation" such as a key change or vocal harmony or anything that connects with a strong emotional memory for the listener.

For me, there are ineffable moments in Björk's "Hyperballad," Machine Head's "Burning Red" and Ani DiFranco's "Hour Follows Hour" and "School Night" that strike this magic nerve, but as they say, results — and opinions — may vary. One thing's for sure, chills are not something we can summon without the right inspiration. For further reading check out some more psycho-musical and see what your favorite music reveals about your personality.

Does Certain Music Give You Chills? Here’s What It Might Mean

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