Get goosebumps when you hear music? Here's what it says about your brain

We've all been moved by music. Whether it's re-hearing a particular song from your childhood or seeing your favourite artist live, music can become more than ear candy and get right to our bones. Of course, not everyone hears music the same (don't believe it? Check out Jam or Not a Jam), and while we can all debate which songs are truly Grammy-worthy, some of us actually experience music differently. Moreover, if you often experience a physical reaction to the music you hear, your brain may be wired differently.

A study published in the journal Social Cognitive And Affective Neuroscience aimed to get to the bottom of why some people respond to music in a physically more intense manner than others. Researchers gathered a small sample size of 20 post-secondary students to participate in the study, 10 of which admitted to often getting goosebumps while listening to music, the other half did not. After performing brain scans on each individual, a pattern began to emerge.

The scans revealed that participants who felt goosebumps while listening to music had higher white matter connectivity (basically a higher density of fibres) between parts of the brain that process sensory information (like the auditory cortex) and the parts of the brain that are in control of emotional processing than those who did not. Essentially, in individuals who do feel those tiny bumps rise at the sound of a stirring song, there seems to be a stronger or more sensitive connection between those two areas of the brain, meaning those parts of the brain can communicate more clearly with each other and incoming audio can have a greater influence over both emotions and physical responses to those emotions. Furthermore, because of the density in the emotional areas of the brain, these individuals were more likely to have more intense emotions in general.

Researchers believe this is the first evidence of differences in the neural connection of these two areas of the brain between groups of people, which could pave the way for further impactful findings. Certainly the results are promising, but given the sample size, not exactly conclusive. After fortifying these findings through wider testing, the next step would be to uncover the ways in which this connection can be manipulated. There's also a large component of the music/emotion connection that is influenced by each individual's past experiences and history (like hearing the ice cream truck). This makes it difficult to examine in a scientific manner, but further study could lead researchers toward patterns in the ways music affects certain people.

However, if we come to learn more about how this music/emotion connection could be manipulated, it could break open opportunities in fields like therapy, art and advertising, each looking to impart the right emotions upon the public. Researchers also believe this neural connection marks an evolution in our responses to the world around us. Humans have long appreciated sensory aesthetics and this research gives credence to the idea that our brains may be wiring and rewiring themselves to appreciate and respond to more of of the incoming world, with music acting as just one example.  

Though these findings are important, we are already well aware of the different ways in which music can have an effect on our minds. It can prepare us to better handle and remember incoming information, like studying for an exam (here's a playlist to prove it). Music also has high potential to perhaps heal us; a compilation of research from McGill University suggests that the right musical treatment can have many medicinal benefits, from reversing the effects of aging to creating calming sensations in tense patients. Could there come a day where we reach for our headphones instead of a pill bottle when our heads our pounding? Perhaps, but in the meantime, next time a song gives you goosebumps, know that there's more at work than just a good beat.

RJ Skinner is an actor, writer and pro wrestler, so he rants and raves in various states of undress. Follow him on IG @rjcity and if you're feeling crafty, behold The Cynical Crafter.