What causes you to get goosebumps. How and why do the happen?
2006-11-19 08:21:52 · 5 answers · asked by astroplayground 1 in Health ➔ Other - Health
What actually happens with your body when you get these bumps is when you're cold or scared etc.your arrector muscles pull your hair up, and your blood vessels and ducts to your sweat glands get small to conserve heat.
2006-11-19 08:30:09 · answer #1 · answered by rltouhe 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Goosebumps result from each little hair (on your arm, say) standing up. This is left over from when humans had a lot more hair on their body. When you're cold you get goosebumbs in order to form more insulation, when you're frightened, my guess is it's to make you look bigger (picture a dog or a cat with hair on end).
2006-11-19 16:26:10 · answer #2 · answered by desolationangel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Goosebumps are actually the bodys way of trying to keep in warmth. The pores close in order to keep in heat, which in turn causes your hair to stand up. Hope that helps.
2006-11-19 16:31:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you're cold, the raising of the skin into bumps also raises the hair. When all of your little hairs do that it creates pockets of air that are warmed by your body. In other words it creates an extra layer of insulation. As for when you're scared... I don't know, it makes you look bigger? My cat does it when she gets scared and she turns into a threatening pouffy monster.
2006-11-19 16:26:31 · answer #4 · answered by wanna 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just for fun, the medical term for goosebumps is "piloerection".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goose_bumps
2006-11-19 16:30:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋