Musical Chills: Do You Experience Them?

[Xengo]

This artist's songs always give me chills



and





I feel like the chills are when we hit peak emotional arousal. The music that you feel the most represents a part of who you are and what you believe in. If you think in terms of vibrations, when we experience the chills we are vibrating at a higher rate. Higher vibrations represents more intense emotions.

 

[rhody]

Here is a http://www.youtube.com/v/zzXoyvvLWo4?version=3&hl=en_GB" I posted in my "runway" thread. I have watched it at least ten times and it never fails to give me chills, because it has the elements of tension, danger, incredible photography, and music all blended to great effect. See if it works for you too. In case I forget, Happy (early) 4th of July all. That includes you too Fuzzy, make it a great one...

Rhody...

 

[fuzzyfelt]

Here is a http://www.youtube.com/v/zzXoyvvLWo4?version=3&hl=en_GB" I posted in my "runway" thread. I have watched it at least ten times and it never fails to give me chills, because it has the elements of tension, danger, incredible photography, and music all blended to great effect. See if it works for you too. In case I forget, Happy (early) 4th of July all. That includes you too Fuzzy, make it a great one...

Rhody...

Fantastic Rhody! Happy 4th to you too!

 

[fuzzyfelt]

This artist's songs always give me chills



and





I feel like the chills are when we hit peak emotional arousal. The music that you feel the most represents a part of who you are and what you believe in. If you think in terms of vibrations, when we experience the chills we are vibrating at a higher rate. Higher vibrations represents more intense emotions.

I missed this, nice music and thoughts.

 

[haael]

Did you check out "Brendan's Death Song" from the latest RHCP album? In the second verse there are these high guitar tones in the background. They give me chills every time I merely think about them, not to mention actually listening to them.

 

[rhody]

Did you check out "Brendan's Death Song" from the latest RHCP album? In the second verse there are these high guitar tones in the background. They give me chills every time I merely think about them, not to mention actually listening to them.

haael,

Do you have a link ? Or is the song new and not posted in some uTube video yet ?

Rhody...

 

[fuzzyfelt]

The drums are amazing, too! Here is a link-

Thanks haael.

 

[rhody]

The drums are amazing, too! I'll find a link, but I'm not great with imbedding. Thanks haael.

Fuzzy,

Should we stick with the plan we hatched a couple months ago, I have our consolidated list, I need to make sure it is correct. I like this thread and it seems others have found value here as well, what I like to refer to as peace, and peace of mind. Should I post it ? I decided to add my observations about OCD in a separate thread I will start, haven't yet, of my own. It deserves it's own place, so to speak. Let me know, PM me, if you wish I will leave it up to you.

Rhody...

 

[fuzzyfelt]

That is great, Rhody, thanks.

 

[rhody]

This has been a long time coming, longer than fuzzy and I expected, I hope everyone likes it.

What follows summarizes chill responses to music and other stimuli. General followed by specific examples are listed. We have tried to stay true to the original posters intent, hopefully we have succeeded. Please feel free to correct us if we have made any errors. This thread has been beneficial to myself and lots of others who have contributed here. Hopefully it will serve as a shot in the arm and benefit from more great input.

• Donwado's chill response to music
• first and may times after hearing particular music
• waves of electricity on skin's surface
• starts at the base of neck, radiating down arms, back and legs
• takes about .5 to 3 seconds to fully radiate out and dissipate when it reaching toes and wrists
• listening to a particular song it happened about 15-20 times in fairly rapid succession
• near the end of the song became so overwhelming almost started crying
• song was upbeat, not sad, felt like tears of happiness/joy, skin orgasm
• Famous Speeches/Truth, MLK's I have a Dream speech
• writing about it
  
  
• Lisab's chill response to music
• not first time hearing piece of music
• from emotions evoked by lyric, and in the singer's voice
• later found that a piece of music triggered chills when heard for the first time
• has felt it is associated with emotions, not structure, e.g. regret
  
  
• Danger's chill response to music
• something intense that gets my attention part-way into a song, superb vocals
• catchy instrumental work (with no vocals)
• believes it happens because it is a reminder of a situation or even specific incident
• literature evokes chills
• suggests high/difficult vocal notes
• considers limbic system involvement
  
  
• Turbo's chill response to music
• live performance through a great sound-system AND seeing them from the front row did the trick
• new and impressive music
• it settles after repeated listenings, but never entirely goes away
• as a young guitarist particularly appreciated the tight control and over-the-top vibrato
• compositional excellence may not produce chill, whereas raucous blue does
• drums important (to chills or no?)
  
  
• Fuzzy’s chill response to music, animal responses to music, synergy, humor and possible animal chills
• first time hearing piece of music
• may require a combination of musical or sound elements
• possible factors so far have included pitch or tone (with voice, guitar, violin, piano…), beat and percussion instruments, memories, emotion (including emotional lyrics or that contained in the voice or seemingly in an instrument) and one that seemed to strike a chord with a few of us-resolution
• amount of humidity in the air
• most genres, but not too obviously emotional
• possibly more with classical music, vocals or duets
• tears possibly from awe, cathartic, Adorno’s essay about mourning
• emotional manipulation: http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/05/20/rsbl.2010.0333.abstract"
• synergy: http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo....haverford.edu/dspace/b...2007FieldB.pdf[/url
• trumpets, violin, reggae/ska back beat
• volume
• some attention
• Birds seem to enjoy music
• Chimps experience awe, so possibly chills
• humour (Panksepp’s rats)
  
  
• Rhody's chill response, not just to music
• replacing worry, anxiety with anticipatory thoughts of positive actions or plans
• parts of brain involved: orbital frontal cortex, cingulate gyrus, and caudate nucleus. the gearshift that allows thoughts to flow from one thought to the next
• worry lessens when: you focus on a new (pleasant) activity, you keep the caudate nucleus from getting stuck, by growing new circuits in it. Note: the amgydala is involved as well, more on that later
• thinking about some fantastic idea or piece of music, or after stopping listening to music and imagining it, believe's chill experience breaks OCD cycle
• credible evidence that proves that an orgasm by thought alone is possible, and that some areas of the brain are shared between chills and female orgasm
• memory triggered by Andre's niece picture, of a similar incident in college that conveyed indescribable and fleeting feeling of seeing a woman's hair at a precise moment and in setting sunlight, powerful
• cutting out folic acid 400mg per day lessens chill response, histamine release, progresses to less reaction as each day passes without folic acid intake
• while relaxed in a beautiful sun setting environment, chills from anticipation of carrying put an idea, mainly a feeling that was non-verbal, hard to describe, because there were no words to associate the feeling with, just the feeling itself
• sudden feeling of awe and appreciation of beauty at a fleeting moment during sunset lasting about a minute and a half
• maximum number of chill cycles is about 3 lasting no more than 90 seconds
• during a cycle of chills experienced good feelings followed by unusual "suppressed sadness", followed by a weaker shorter chill that was pleasant
• I can distill my experience with sudden chills for no apparent reason (other than thinking about them) to a potential being reached, in my case, mind you it is my own humble opinion, of histamine being released. Did experiment cutting folic acid out for weeks and then adding it again, and after a waning off the chills were not as intense, long lasting, and after adding it after a number of days it grew intense again. Repeated this twice and got the same reaction each time, so I am pretty sure it works (for me anyway) as I described
• I have a new one to add, picked up the bike after 600 break-in at the dealer, they removed the 9K rev limit, and gradually rolling on the throttle in 2nd gear, once the revs got beyond 9K I got the biggest chill from the noise of the formula one type exhaust note, I rolled off, then rolled on again this time harder, and the visceral acceleration combined with the exhaust note did it again, a bit stronger this time. On the way home from the shop, about 20 miles, it happened a few more times, and at just normal riding pace, nothing I hadn't done in the first 600 miles of riding. Now that I think back about it, I think my brain was replaying the first two incidents in the "background" so to speak. Very powerful, now I have an inkling why for some it becomes an addiction, the anticipation is the key, actually experiencing the event is just a bonus
• another experience is chills followed by profound sadness
  
  
• Andre's chill response not just to music
• tends to believe first time hearing piece of music
• when hearing music develop the way I expect it to
• music that didn't do it during childhood, does now as an adult
• solving a "Where's that Landmark Puzzle"
• picture's that convey an ethereal quality
• some music
• duets (?)
• genre not important
• regarding classical, Beethoven but not Mozart
• attention
• volume can suppress (?)
• patriotism
  
  
• Borek's chill response not just to music
• first hearing music, testing organs before a concert, intro to Money for nothing
  
  
• GerbenD's chill response, not just to music
• riding home on my bicycle, so I guess that riding a bicycle doesn't take too much attention
• the chill comes up when there is some sort of element of surprise
• the first notes would trigger your brain to come up with expectations
• when I listen to one of the pieces that I know will cause this feeling and I skip ahead to where the chill should come up, it doesn't happen
• it seems to also be possible to experience these chills without a change in music (right from the start)
• on the one hand it would be possible to prepare a kind of state of expectation in our minds so the change will have an impact
• it seems to me that to find a common cause in music will result in finding links between music and other causes of chills. The only common cause seems to be change, surprise
  
  Tubba Bubba’s chill response to music and other things
• hasn’t experienced much that chills for > 2 years
• musical chills may be memory of use in film
• piano and violin
• ‘chills from "awesome moments" in movies, shows, video games and the like’
  
  what’s chill response to music
• only classical music
  
  Academic’s chill response to music and other art forms (n/m, but very conversant with music)
• most genres aside from punk and metal, which Academic doesn’t enjoy as much
• of other art forms, literature particularly. Written or even oral speech with a profound idea.
  
  Wolram’s chill response to music and sound
• no chills from music
  
  Glueball’s chill response to music
• violinist who particularly appreciates (extremely good) violin recitals
  
  Dembadon’s chill response to musi
• usually from vocals, when a singer hits a particularly high/difficult note
• from instruments, too
  
  Om Cheeto’s chill response to music
• experienced for >35 years
  
  Gentleman beside Om Cheeto’s chill response to music
• gets them too
  
  S_happens’ chill response to music
• new and impressive music
• settles after repeated listenings, but never entirely goes away
  
  Pythagorean’s chill response to music
• particularly theatrical music (A lot of classical music works too for this reason)
• if it doesn't change moods throughout the piece, it's usually not as effective.
  
  Leptos’ self induced chills
• I sometimes get this feeling of blood flow increasing to my head and it feels a little warm. I'm actually able to control it and induce it as often as I'd like, i.e., I can give myself these "chills" through internal stimulus alone.
  
  AJBentley’s chill response to music
• 60's Folk-pop
• Baroque
  
  BB King’s chill response
• Peter Green’s guitar tone
  
  Galteeth’s chill response to music (non musician but works with music)
• ihasn’t noticed “goosebumps” but profound, immediate experience
• ialmost exclusively from punk
  
  The Riddler’s chill response to music
• ia lot, particularly from rock (plays guitar)
  
  Alt’s chill response to music and literature
• ilistening to certain music, e.g. “after the slow sleepy melancholic organ, that SHARP, distorted guitar rift that leaps in” (vast contrast?)
• imagining listening to certain music (I have to be calm, relaxed, not stressed and have -my mind basically open and in an idling state)
• realizing a possible solution to a problem
• reading about surprising information
• when internally reciting profound (imo) poetry
• when in a sleepy state, and pushing the mind to think about infinity .. lol ..
  
  Antiphon’s chill response to music
• various genres, including baroque and including rock
• particularly speed/skill (?)
  
  Ithina’s response chill to music and film, etc...
• no chills from listening, doesn’t enjoy listening to music, only playing and composing
• chills from film or doing something he/she loves
  
  TurtleMeister’s chill response to music
• neither genre nor instrument important
  
  Mandark’s chill response to self induced, musical and film
• can self induce at will, but not as powerful
• film, heroic, inspirational scene
• music via high, long, emotional note
• “starts in upper back and neck then extends down the back and along to the arms and head, and if strong enough, to the legs.”
  
  Ouabache’s chill response to music/synergy
• many genres
• feels it is a matter of personal taste
• more intense in adulthood
• percussional instruments
• building in intensity, feeling the emotion of the composer, culminates in the introduction of the full chorus
• feel composer’s hard work and hardships overcome
• evokes chills and tears of joy
• emotions (of composer) felt and relayed by the performer to others (e.g. faces of BB King, Itzhak Perlman
• (So) Apparently the synergy of visual and auditory stimulation, heighten these emotions.
  
  Loren Booda’s chill response to music and girlfriend
• superb music gives chills with flashbacks with profound emotions
• different chills seeing girlfriend
  
  Brainstorm’s chill response to music/synergy
• synergy again
• as punctuation and narration for visuals (film) “Music builds tension to tell the audience to get ready for something big to happen, or it sings for joy for you so that your heart can feel elated at a certain outcome. Film music basically scripts the audience's emotions”
• this may happen in daily lives
  
  Negatron’s chill response to music
• Yes and finds them frustrating. Sound causes perspiration.
  
  Logger’s chill response to music
• only from “Prince”
  
  Imiyakawa’s response to musical chills and science
• on listening to music, but not repeatedly
• on hearing Sagan’s science remixes, different to musical chills, brain “gasm”
  
  Billiard’s and Marcus du Sautoy’s chill response to music and maths
• musical chills, particularly with live music
• interestingly, at a recent lecture I attended, the mathematician Marcus Du Sautoy compared his experience of musical chills to the chills he got when uncovering mathematical beauty. He said that most people can hear a piece of beautiful music and experience chills, but he can get the same feeling from just looking at a beautiful equation”
• if he discovers an equation then that feeling is magnified greatly.
  
  TheSatutoryApe’s response to musical chills, math and literature (N/M)
• female vocals
• “anticipation. Build ups and change ups, most significantly, as well as particularly evocative sounds and combinations of sounds." e.g. ska’s off beat for anticipation
• Contrasts
• emotional evocativeness, e.g. blues, “Zombie”, punk, Beethoven
• alternatively subtlety in music
• subtlety in mathematical elegance
• subtlety in literature, particularly for Stats, satire
• synergy of witty, insightful, efficient, musical, rhythmical lyrics (phd level)
• e.g. rap, also using contrast and anticipation
  
  Leetchaos’ response to musical chills
• best experience was unexpected
• “It feels like waves of electricity on the surface of my skin, it starts at the base of my neck and very quickly radiates out down my arms, back and legs. It takes about .5 to 3 seconds to fully radiate out and dissipate when it reaches my toes and wrists. Today while listening to a particular song it happened about 15-20 times in fairly rapid succession. “
• “Near the end it became so overwhelming I almost started crying and my eyes welled up. The song I was listening to was very upbeat not sad at all and the tears felt like tears of happiness/joy, it really was a skin orgasm.”
• doesn’t recall frisson from other stimulus

Rhody... Fuzzyfelt...

 

[lisab]

Thanks to Rhody and fuzzyfelt for putting that together!

It's interesting learning how different people react...it's personal, and even intimate.

 

[Andre]

[*]Andre's chill response not just to music

• ...
• duets (?)
• attention
• volume can suppress (?)
• patriotism
  

Rhody... Fuzzyfelt...

Great job both, thanks very much. A few points

Duets, most certainly, for instance a Denver/Pavarotti

Attention and volume were mentioned in relation the The organ symphony of Saint Saens, where the start sudden organ part with a sudden volume increase is chilling. A better term for volume is maybe 'dynamics'.

Patriotism - I think I posted that a bit clumsy with a denying the opposite metaphore, in relation to the patriottic Piet Hein rhapsody but it was intended to say the opposite.

 

[Dembadon]

Wow! Thanks to both of you for getting this together.

 

[rhody]

Wow! Thanks to both of you for getting this together.

Thanks Dembadon. Part of my thinking (I always try to think ahead, it is my nature), is that for some younger folks following, is that, without effort, the is little reward. Work ethic, that kind of thing... setting an example... you get the idea... compared to today's standards, old school...

Rhody...

 

[fuzzyfelt]

Thanks Dembadon, too! :)

 

[hyde2042]

First thingI remembergetting chills from. Still do, but not as much. Ithink it comes from the imagery of the lyrics.

"When it all crashes down
And you break your crown
And you point your finger, but there's no one around"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAGP24eq_0o&ob=av3n

And the last things I got chills from





The latter I think thechills came from the voice/range/inflections

 

[rockphysics16]

Yes. Music is universal; you can't find one person who doesn't enjoy any aspect of harmonized sound at all. For chills, I get them, but that's becuase i completely immerse myself in the sound and let it dictate what i feel. when the song reaches its, peak, i get the chills because that's the height of emotion. its beautiful :)

 

[SamirS]

As much as music, and special visual impressions can give me positive chills, I`d really like to know that I`m kind of not insane, because that`s what people tell me about the effect of negative chills.

I get them from this things:

- emaille
- styropor
- tempo handkerchiefs (paper, basically). Any kind of paper towel, too
- most fabrics if touched, or beware, stroke it like you would stroke a pet
- pencils, markers/feltpens
- not using moisturizer for longer than half an hour on my hands
- rough metals
- chalk / magnesium powders

and many more. You can see the basic pattern of "things that are dry or sound dry".
If I hear someone using a felt marker to draw on paper, it basically feels like some kind of pain in my head and I get very unpleasant chills all over my body. You could cut diamonds with my nipples. My face actually starts twitching if it is extreme, something friends and family like to exploit for either fun or torture. They sometimes think I`m acting, but it is really kind of painful, or at least unbearable for me.

This is the reason that I always have hand cream on me and if there`s any chance I could be using the toilet somewhere, wet toilet paper.

Is this some kind of OCD?

 

[Willowz]

Bach hands down. He specialises in the chills department.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

As much as music, and special visual impressions can give me positive chills, I`d really like to know that I`m kind of not insane, because that`s what people tell me about the effect of negative chills.

I get them from this things:

- emaille
- styropor
- tempo handkerchiefs (paper, basically). Any kind of paper towel, too
- most fabrics if touched, or beware, stroke it like you would stroke a pet
- pencils, markers/feltpens
- not using moisturizer for longer than half an hour on my hands
- rough metals
- chalk / magnesium powders

and many more. You can see the basic pattern of "things that are dry or sound dry".
If I hear someone using a felt marker to draw on paper, it basically feels like some kind of pain in my head and I get very unpleasant chills all over my body. You could cut diamonds with my nipples. My face actually starts twitching if it is extreme, something friends and family like to exploit for either fun or torture. They sometimes think I`m acting, but it is really kind of painful, or at least unbearable for me.

This is the reason that I always have hand cream on me and if there`s any chance I could be using the toilet somewhere, wet toilet paper.

Is this some kind of OCD?

SamirS, I’m sorry, we divided the project between us, and maybe missed some, and it seems to me that the negative chills are an important part, too. I don’t know if there are better ways to discover more about this, but the paper I linked at the start mentions this investigation- Halpern, Blake, & Hillenbrand (1986), but I haven’t seen the paper, although other papers that cite it are interesting.

What particularly interests me is that it is more immediately tactile than via sound, although sound can be involved too, and the equation of friction and dryness with unpleasant sounds.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

Bach hands down. He specialises in the chills department.

I don’t know if you particularly like maths or not, but wonder if that helps appreciating such music. That said, I get Bach chills.

 

[rhody]

As much as music, and special visual impressions can give me positive chills, I`d really like to know that I`m kind of not insane, because that`s what people tell me about the effect of negative chills.

You can see the basic pattern of "things that are dry or sound dry".
If I hear someone using a felt marker to draw on paper, it basically feels like some kind of pain in my head and I get very unpleasant chills all over my body.

Is this some kind of OCD?

Hi Samir,

First, I don't believe you are insane. Based on what you are describing I am leaning towards thinking you have a pretty rare form of synesthesia, I have a co-worker who if she tastes something may feel like it has a shape, for instance, corn, make her feel like she is feeling sanded octagons when she chews them. A mingling of the senses if you will. Parts of your brain are activating, firing if you will, when they should not be.

Do the dry things make you feel sick to your stomach or just sharp pains, with unpleasant chills, and are the chills the cold sweaty type that come with feel sick to your stomach ?

Finally, have you always had these sensations, or did they come on recently ? Any triggering events you believe contributed to started them ?

Rhody...

P.S. Check out this https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=3004716&postcount=289", another example of what I referring to.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

I see I could have been more reassuring, and should have said that I feel same to a lesser degree, like I mentioned previously, and much prefer humidity to a dry atmosphere, and avoid touching chalk or thinking about it if I can.

 

[SamirS]

Hi Samir,

First, I don't believe you are insane. Based on what you are describing I am leaning towards thinking you have a pretty rare form of synesthesia, I have a co-worker who if she tastes something may feel like it has a shape, for instance, corn, make her feel like she is feeling sanded octagons when she chews them. A mingling of the senses if you will. Parts of your brain are activating, firing if you will, when they should not be.

Do the dry things make you feel sick to your stomach or just sharp pains, with unpleasant chills, and are the chills the cold sweaty type that come with feel sick to your stomach ?

Finally, have you always had these sensations, or did they come on recently ? Any triggering events you believe contributed to started them ?

Rhody...

P.S. Check out this https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=3004716&postcount=289", another example of what I referring to.

Hi Rhody,

the post you linked hits it pretty much on the nail in describing some of the other "feelings" I have. Sounds evoke a mixture of shapes and colours, kind of fractal, felt in my head. It's really hard to find words to describe of feeling coloured shapes in your head.

Those dry things evoke a sharp, cold burning or painful tingling kind of feeling most strongly on the arms and upper chest, it's a kind of "pin and needles" feeling. I had these aversion to dry things since I can think but over the last few years it has become much more prominent.

Since a long time I'm only able to use biros for gel biros for handwriting. Recently on a seminar I brought the lecturer equipment to use on a overhead projector instead of his flipchart with a marker because the first day drove me insane. After some time I started sweating and couldn't focus on anything at all and actually felt sick to my stomach, but it usually doesn't get as far as this. The difference here was that I had to stay and had to hear the lecture so I couldn't shut my ears close and try to ignore/not hear it (which is what I usually do).

Days of the week and numbers are not associated with colours but with "personalities" that themselves are connected to colours again. It's just as inevitable as if you think of someone you like or dislike, or foods you like or dislike.

I knew that I have some kind of synesthesia since I heard the descriptions of it the first time (you just recognize it) but never connected the dry thing with it as I thought of it more like an obsession, as for example dry hands made me think of dry things which is by the way enough to get the tingling going. My personal horror is me having to eat a paper towel, the thought of which evokes the "pins and needles" strongly by itself.#

And last, there was a triggering event, about 6 years ago, that made all synesthesia-associated feelings much more prominent, but as said I find the effects really enjoyable and so didn't connect the dry thing with it. I was almost as far as going to the doc to see if it was an OCD-type thing but you made me think about it now, thanks a lot!

 

[rhody]

Hi Rhody,

And last, there was a triggering event, about 6 years ago, that made all synesthesia-associated feelings much more prominent, but as said I find the effects really enjoyable and so didn't connect the dry thing with it. I was almost as far as going to the doc to see if it was an OCD-type thing but you made me think about it now, thanks a lot!

Samir,

Very cool, I am glad all of my digging with synesthesia could be put to practical use, thank you for sharing your issues with us. Perhaps your post will help others, too.

Rhody...

 

[1MileCrash]

Notifications that this topic has been responded to is destroying my gmail inbox. :P

 

[rhody]

Notifications that this topic has been responded to is destroying my gmail inbox. :P

1Mile,

You are kidding, right ? If not, use the QuickLinks pull down, under subscriptions, select subscribed threads, and unsubscribe to any thread you wish. I seriously doubt it though, I have 6 gb of http://www.labnol.org/internet/email/gmail-daily-limit-sending-bulk-email/2191/" and haved only used 5% of it.

Rhody...

 

[1MileCrash]

Yes, just kidding. Sometimes my phone gets a notification from here, and when I see it's from this thread, I get sad.

 

[1mmorta1]

I'm not just a math and physics enthusiast, I'm a musician! And what musician doesn't? I play drums(all percussion), bass guitar, guitar and piano. I love all genres of music, and can get the chills from any wonderfull progression. When a progression does half step down in minor scales after two full steps, it actually usually sounds good enough to get my chills goin :)

 

[lisab]

Notifications that this topic has been responded to is destroying my gmail inbox. :P

Go to "thread tools" (it's on the title bar of every 16th post) to unsubscribe.