Listening to music as a re-creative process:: Physiological, psychological, and psychoacoustical correlates of chills and strong emotions

FEELINGS IN RESPONSE TO music are often accompanied by measurable bodily reactions such as goose bumps or shivers down the spine, commonly called "chills." In order to investigate distinct acoustical and musical structural elements related to chill reactions, reported chill reactions and bodily reactions were measured continuously. Chill reactions did not show a simple stimulus-response pattern or depend on personality traits, such as. low sensation seeking and high reward dependence. Musical preferences and listening situations also played a role in chill reactions. Participants seemed to react to musical patterns, not to mere acoustical triggers. The entry of a voice and changes in volume were shown to be the most reactive patterns. These results were also confirmed by a retest experiment.