Editing Goose bumps (section)

== Causes ==
=== Extreme temperatures ===
Goose bumps can be experienced in the presence of flash-cold temperatures, for example being in a cold environment, and the skin being able to re-balance its surface temperature quickly. The stimulus of cold surroundings causes the tiny muscles ([[arrector pili muscle]]) attached to each [[hair follicle]] to contract. This contraction causes the hair strands to stand straight, the purpose of which is to aid in quicker drying via evaporation of water clinging to the hair which is moved upward and away from the skin.{{Citation needed|reason=This seems unlikely in humans (Adhesion and cohesion would net let water move upward/away from the skin along a thin hair. It's more likely the erection is due to vestigial reflexes as outlined in other parts of the article.|date=June 2018}}

=== Intense emotion ===
The emotional correlates of piloerection in humans are not well understood.<ref name="McPhetres 6–20"/> People often say they feel their "hair standing on end" when they are frightened or in awe. 

=== Music ===
Most research using musical stimuli has focused on self-reported "chills" which is a subjective experience, unlike piloerection which is an objectively quantifiable physiological reaction. However, research has shown that self-reported piloerection does not correspond to observed piloerection.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} Thus, research on the chills should not be considered to extend to the physiological phenomena of piloerection.

=== Ingestion ===
Medications and herbal supplements that affect body temperature and blood flow may cause piloerection. For example, one of the common reported side effects of the intake of [[yohimbine]] is piloerection.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Smet|first1=Peter A. G. M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KeHVBQAAQBAJ&q=yohimbine+hcl+piloerection&pg=PT261|title=Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs, Volume 3|date=1997|publisher=Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg|isbn=978-3-540-60181-4|location=Germany|display-authors=etal|access-date=19 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Goldberg|first1=M R|date=1983|title=Influence of yohimbine on blood pressure, autonomic reflexes, and plasma catecholamines in Humans|url=http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/5/5/772|journal=Hypertension|volume=5|issue=5|pages=776–777|doi=10.1161/01.HYP.5.5.772|pmid=6352483|access-date=19 September 2015|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Opiate withdrawal ===
Piloerection is one of the signs of [[Opioid use disorder|opioid withdrawal]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Withdrawal Syndromes Clinical Presentation: History, Physical Examination|url=http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/819502-clinical|access-date=15 April 2017|work=medscape.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Parkar|first1=S.R.|last2=Seethalakshmi|first2=R|last3=Adarkar|first3=S|last4=Kharawala|first4=S|date=1 January 2006|title=Is this 'complicated' opioid withdrawal?|journal=Indian J Psychiatry|volume=48|issue=2|pages=121–122|doi=10.4103/0019-5545.31604|pmc=2913562|pmid=20703400 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The term "[[cold turkey]]" meaning abrupt withdrawal from a drug, may derive from the goose bumps that occur during abrupt withdrawal from [[opioid]]s; this resembles the skin of a [[turkey as food|refrigerated plucked turkey]].<ref name="Hales 2014">{{Cite book|last1=Hales|first1=Robert E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oVWTAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA779|title=The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry, Sixth Edition|last2=Yudofsky|first2=Stuart C.|last3=Roberts|first3=Laura Weiss|publisher=American Psychiatric Publishing|year=2014|isbn=9781585624447|pages=779|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Ghodse 2010">{{Cite book|last=Ghodse|first=Hamid|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WYQ23OMjWbcC&pg=PA77|title=Ghodse's Drugs and Addictive Behaviour: A Guide to Treatment|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2010|isbn=9781139485678|pages=77|language=en}}</ref>

=== Voluntary control ===
An unknown proportion of people may consciously initiate the sensation and physiological signs of piloerection.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Katahira |first1=Kenji |last2=Kawakami |first2=Ai |last3=Tomita |first3=Akitoshi |last4=Nagata |first4=Noriko |date=2020-06-05 |title=Volitional Control of Piloerection: Objective Evidence and Its Potential Utility in Neuroscience Research |journal=Frontiers in Neuroscience |language=English |volume=14 |page=590 |doi=10.3389/fnins.2020.00590 |doi-access=free |issn=1662-453X |pmc=7290233 |pmid=32581701}}</ref> The phenomenon is discovered spontaneously, appearing to be innate, and is not known to be possible to learn or acquire. Those with the ability frequently are unaware that it is not possible for everyone. The ability appears to correlate with personality traits associated with [[openness to experience]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Heathers |first1=James A.J. |last2=Fayn |first2=Kirill |last3=Silvia |first3=Paul J. |last4=Tiliopoulos |first4=Niko |last5=Goodwin |first5=Matthew S. |date=July 30, 2018 |title=The voluntary control of piloerection |journal=PeerJ |volume=6 |pages=e5292 |doi=10.7717/peerj.5292 |issn=2167-8359 |pmc=6071615 |pmid=30083447 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

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