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This time of year, it feels like you get goosebumps every time you leave a warm building and walk into winter's crisp, cool air. But, it’s not just a cold breeze that will cause these little bumps to appear. Get frightened or experience another rush of emotions, and you’ll find them again! But, why? We answer this question with help from Discovery News.
Let’s start just beneath the skin.
That’s where you will find tiny muscles called arrector pili. Each of these muscles attaches to a hair follicle. When you get frightened or cold, your body releases the stress hormone, adrenaline, and your skin’s muscles contract. According to Discovery News, this creates small depressions on parts of the skin while the other parts, including your hair, stand up.
While goosebumps serve no helpful purpose for humans, they certainly do for animals. When animals with a fur coat get cold or feels threatened, goosebumps cause their hair to stand up a little higher than usual. This allows for extra warmth or tells an enemy to stay back.
Next time you see the hair on the back of your cat or dog stand up, you’ll know the contraction of its arrector pili – or goosebumps – are to thank!
Looking for more Never Stop Asking "Why?" questions? Catch up on all of the past "Whys" on the blog!
