EXPERTS have discovered why live music gives you goosebumps and it’s partly to do with the meaning of a song – and how loud it is.
Harvard researcher Matthew Sachs came to the conclusion after combining the results of his experiment with that of existing studies into the same subject.
Sachs monitored the heart rates and skin conductance of subjects who listened to three of their favourite pieces of music.
Intensity of lyrics, rising pitch, harmonic intervals and collective crowd singing emerged as the key factors in delivering the shivers.
Using the information Sachs created an equation: Pgoosebumps = CF (Sc + Id+Ap).
CF recognises the cognitive factors and Sc is the social and environmental context such as the collective experience.
Id stands for the individual differences such as the engagement with the music and Ap is the music’s acoustic properties, or the rapid increase or decrease in volume.
Pgoosebumps is the percentage chance of getting goosebumps.
Sachs’ study was carried out to mark the launch of Barclaycard’s Entertainment partnership with Live Nation.
Sachs said: ”Many studies have attempted to investigate what causes the emotion we feel while listening to music, but these have typically taken place in a lab setting.
”We’ve never before been able to explore how multiple factors influence the likelihood of experiencing goosebumps in a real-world context.
”It’s hugely exciting to be able to explore the physiological correlates of aesthetic emotions for the first time in during live performances this summer.”
Barclaycard also carried out a survey to accompany the study.
The results show seven in ten Brits think goosebumps are a marker of great live entertainment, but only 16 per cent of us understand where the physiological phenomenon comes from.
But the majority of Brits (71 per cent) think getting goosebumps is the top sign of a great live entertainment experience.
It also emerged the emotional effect of a live music experience is also enhanced by being amongst friends (41 per cent), singing along with the crowd (41 per cent) and watching your favourite artist perform (40 per cent).
MOST READ IN NEWS
STAG APPEAL
Brit dad dies on Benidorm stag do leaving pals to raise cash to bring body home
BOYFRIEND FROM HELL
Control freak banned his teen girlfriend from wearing clean clothes
UP IN THE AIR
Flights to Spain may be cancelled THIS WEEK as air traffic controllers strike
It’s a girl!
Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall announce birth of their second child
GUNNED DOWN
Rap star XXXTentacion shot dead by masked gunmen as Kanye West leads tributes
BACK ROW BONK
Randy couple filmed having full sex on packed holiday jet to Mexico
The research also revealed while 71 per cent of Brits have experienced the chills during live entertainment, 13 per cent incorrectly believe that romantic attraction is actually the key cause of goosebumps – with almost one in ten putting the sensation down to simply feeling cold (nine per cent).
Although 60 per cent of Brits associate goosebumps with the feeling of excitement, the new theory suggests that a personal relevance to the song, collective crowd experience and a rapid increase or decrease in volume are more important when it comes to delivering the shivers.
Time of day is also a significant factor, with over half (56 per cent) of respondents feeling more goosebumps after 5pm than at any other time during a live music performance, with the optimum time for a goosebump moment identified as 6.37pm.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
- How to reduce stress from cost of living crisis, according to expert
- Cost of Living payment LATEST — Universal Credit warning as major DWP change could see 120,000 lose out on benefits
- George Michael gives tearful account of near-death pneumonia ordeal
- Who are the Bargain Hunt experts?
- Best MP3 player for 2023: portable music players from Astell & Kern, Onkyo and more
- 9 Reasons Why We Switched from Yoast to All in One SEO
- The Hidden Legacy Of The Pointer Sisters, Genre-Busting Pioneers Of Message Music
- World's oldest DNA is discovered in Greenland dating back two MILLION years - breaking the previous record by one million years
- 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Renaissance Music
- Tim Minchin On Why ‘Matilda The Musical’ Is Worth Making A Song And Dance About
- Pet expert shares 'common signs of fear' to look out for in dogs when fireworks go off
- From cooking rice with fewer calories to stopping sliced fruit from browning: Experts reveal chemistry-fueled food hacks
- Quit Your Job And Move Abroad: 10 Cheapest Places To Live In The World
- Quit Your Job And Move Abroad: 10 Cheapest Places To Live
- I’m a clothing expert and you aren’t washing your dressing gown enough – bacteria will grow inside if you don’t
- What Is American Music? Three Classical Albums Offer Answers.
- Royal Family LIVE: 'Glaring' new photo shows Meghan and Harry's Netflix attacks 'backfire'
- How generous Sun readers have saved lives by backing our vital campaigns, from the Ukraine War to domestic abuse victims
- Living Danishly: 6 hacks for a happier life
- Giving childhood back to our children
The reason why live music gives you goosebumps discovered by experts have 854 words, post on www.thesun.co.uk at June 19, 2018. This is cached page on Business News. If you want remove this page, please contact us.