You get goosebumps during a massage because it can trigger strong emotional or physiological responses similar to other intense feelings like pleasure, being deeply moved, fear, or anger.
Understanding Massage Goosebumps
Getting goosebumps, medically known as piloerection, happens when tiny muscles attached to your hair follicles contract, causing hairs to stand on end and creating bumps on the skin. This is a primitive reflex often associated with the sympathetic nervous system's response to stimuli.
During a massage, several factors can contribute to this reaction:
- Emotional Response: Massage can evoke strong feelings. As referenced, we also get goosebumps when we feel those strong emotions. This can include:
- Pleasure: Massage is inherently pleasurable for many people. This pleasurable sensation can be intense enough to trigger goosebumps. One teacher even referred to this specific reaction during massage as "pleasure bumps".
- Deep Relaxation or Being Moved: Just like being moved by art or music can give you "chills", the profound relaxation and release experienced during a massage can also elicit a similar response, manifesting as goosebumps.
- Nervous System Activation: The manipulation of tissues and nerves during a massage stimulates the nervous system. While often associated with relaxation (parasympathetic), intense stimulation or the transition between states can sometimes activate aspects of the sympathetic nervous system responsible for piloerection.
- Temperature Changes: Sometimes, simply becoming more relaxed during a massage can lead to a slight drop in body temperature, which can also cause goosebumps as the body tries to generate warmth.
Common Triggers for Goosebumps
Goosebumps are not unique to massage. They are linked to various strong experiences:
- Cold temperatures
- Fear or shock
- Being angry
- Sexual feelings
- Being deeply moved by music or art (often called "chills")
- Intense pleasure (like during a great massage)
| Trigger | Common Feeling | Goosebump Type (Sometimes) |
|---|---|---|
| Cold | Feeling chilly | Temperature Goosebumps |
| Fear/Anger | Stress, threat | "Fight or Flight" Bumps |
| Music/Art/Massage | Moved, pleasure, relaxation | Chills, Pleasure Bumps |
Essentially, the comfortable, stimulating, and emotionally resonant experience of receiving a massage can tap into the same physiological pathways that cause goosebumps during other impactful moments, including those mentioned in the reference like sexual feelings, being deeply moved by art or music (getting chills), or even negative emotions like fear or anger. The "pleasure bumps" phenomenon specifically highlights this connection during bodywork.
