You know that feeling when a great song comes on and all the hairs on your arm stand up on end? Different songs can have different effects on each of us, with some of us reacting more strongly to the notes or lyrics.
In fact, experiencing sensations like goose bumps or a lump in your throat while listening to music is actually quite rare and unique.
The scientific name for this reaction is called "frisson", and not everyone experiences it.
A study performed by Matthew Sachs, a former undergraduate at Harvard, took brain scans of 20 students, 10 of which admitted to experiencing these feelings while listening to music.
And what he discovered is very interesting.
He discovered that those who had an emotional and physical attachment to music actually have different brain structures than those who don't. Their scans revealed that they tended to have denser volume of fibers that connect their auditory cortex to the areas that process emotions, which means they two can communicate better.
"The idea being that more fibers and increased efficiency between two regions means that you have more efficient processing between them," he said.
This means that if you get chills from music, you are likely to have stronger and more intense emotions, compared to someone who doesn't.
Sach's friend, Alissa Sarkissian who is a research assistant at USC's Brain and Creative Institute can relate. When she listens to "Nude" by Radiohead, her body reacts.
"I sort of feel that my breathing is going with the song, my heart is beating slower and I'm feeling just more aware of the song "” both the emotions of the song and my body's response to it," she said.
But not all music gives off the same response.
Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp believes that sad music triggers chills more often than happy tunes. He argues that the melancholy melody can make us feel nostalgic or wistful which causes the physical response.
What's interesting though, is that chills don't sadden most people. The experience is quite the opposite- overwhelmingly positive.
While Sachs study is still small, Sachs is doing further research to look at brain activity when listening to songs that register certain reactions.
He believes that his findings may be used to help treat mental illnesses, such as depression.
"Depression causes an inability to experience pleasure of everyday things," he says. "You could use music with a therapist to explore feelings."
.Source: Indy 100 / Neuroscience News / Mirror / Mentalfloss