Goosebumps

Each time I hear the rendition of Bumbleboogie, I get goosebumps.

Lets freeze that scene... Me hearing Bumbleboogie and goosebumps all over my forearm. Why do I get goosebumps? We have to search a distant past to answer that question. Because goosebumps are the vestiges of our ancient ancestors. Use the remote to reverse back a couple of scores of years. And you see, my ancient hirsute ancestors, normal mammals with hairs all over. Their hairs were raised or lowered at the behest of sensitive bodily thermostats. Too cold and the hairs were erected, thus trapping a layer of air which served as insulation from the cold. The thicker the hair layer, the more heat it retains. Warm, and the coat was flattened to allow body heat to escape more easily. Forward back to the scene where I am listening to Bumbleboogie.

There I sit, having goosebumps on my forearm. But wait, I am not cold over there. Why am I still getting goosebumps? Well, if you take a live snake to a zoo and show it to a chimp, you gonna see its hair raising up. A sudden jhatka to a cat, and its fur turns up. The reason, they say, is that when hairs stand on end, it tends to increase the body's apparent size and scare off dangerous rivals or predators. Switch back to me listening to bumblebee boogie.

But wait, what has listening to Bumbleboogie got anything to do with a sensitive bodily thermostat or fear or anger? Well, you get goosebumps not only when you are cold but when you walk the aisle to get betrothed to your loved one or when the national anthem is put on after a stunning victory by your country or when you walk through the blackness of the night and there are creepy sounds all around you. Whats common in all the above scenarios? They are all emotionally packed.

The reason for all these responses is the subconscious release of a stress hormone called adrenaline. Adrenaline, which in humans is produced in two small beanlike glands that sit atop the kidneys, not only causes the contraction of skin muscles but also influences many other body reactions. In animals, this hormone is released when the animal is cold or facing a stressful situation, preparing the animal for flight-or-fight reaction. In humans, adrenaline is often released when we feel cold or afraid, but also if we are under stress and feel strong emotions, such as anger or excitement. Other signs of adrenaline release include tears, sweaty palms, trembling hands, an increase in blood pressure, a racing heart or the feeling of 'butterflies' in the stomach.

The hair-erection machinery is a vestige, a non-functional relic of something that did a useful job in our long-dead ancestors. Vestigial hairs are among the many instances of history written all over us.