Why Music Gives You the Chills

I wrote an article on the chill-inducing phenomena of ASMR and musical frisson for Buzzfeed Music. I’ve gotten chills from certain musical passages for as long as I can remember but never thought about why until very recently. Sourced reporting from evolutionary psychologists and choral composer Eric Whitacre, the works, baby.

I’m honored to be a part of the site’s launch day!

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3 Responses to Why Music Gives You the Chills

  1. Joey says:

    If you’re looking for more emotional/chill inducing suggestions, I’d highly recommend Parliament’s “Maggot Brain”. Listen to a quality recording of the original, not the live version. It’s (almost) entirely instrumental and at ~10 minutes long always gives me chills while making me want to smile and cry at the same time.

  2. don says:

    I do not really understand frission and ASMR…in that….why are they triggered. I take a more what I call…spiritual aproach to this phenomenon.

    Have researched and can invoke the “good”chills at will as can some other people I know. Oh, music is the most intense and the currents of energy vary in intensity. It has to do with a person’s chakras opening to the Divine, even if for brief moments.

    Wrote a book after much research (hard to find anything from science)…..The Chills Book…on Amazon. Talk to you, if you like. Find my contact at the website

  3. don says:

    Woops….hope I am not breaking a rule—sorry—if so—www.TheChills.net

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