A discussion around the phenomena of Frission

Have you ever been listening to a piece of music so grand, so awe-inspiring that you break out in goosebumps? I bet if you have and you thought of that piece now, you’d also feel yourself getting goosebumps.

If you haven’t, well, I’m sorry to say that according to science, your brain is RUBBISH— no, I’m joking, but what it does mean is your brain is less developed, perhaps less emotionally intelligent.

Welcome to the phenomenon frisson, the psychophysiological response to stimuli. Let’s talk about it, I am a SUCKER for some psychological wizardry.

First, let me tell you a little about my upbringing in order for you to understand how important music is in my family.

Music has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my mum and dad would often have us listening to music in the car, quickly getting me familiarised with arguably the best genre of music, the 80s. But the music we listened to wasn’t just 80s, it wasn’t really specifically anything. Classical, extreme rock and pop, rap, reggae, you name it, we listened and it was brilliant. This act of my parents sharing their love for music with me is most definitely what started my own passion.

At the age of four, my mum gave me the opportunity to start taking music lessons, first the violin and I played that for about 14 years. When I was 12 and went to high school, I picked up the flute. Over lockdown, I dabbled in piano and guitar, and play them exclusively for myself and no one else :)

From a very young age, myself and my siblings were always encouraged to try new things, particularly in dance and music, but given my two left feet, I thought music was best, and thankfully I no longer sound like I’m murdering a cat when I “perform”, so my family put up with it. My older brother plays the piano, older sister dances, younger brother played the trombone and my youngest sister dances.

Not all at once though because that would be horrific and most likely lead to an accident.

My mum played the cello and organ when she was younger; that, paired with my religious upbringing from my grandma, had me falling in love with hymns. There are some absolute bangers though, and most of them are older, more traditional hymns.

Aside from divulging the entirety of my childhood experience with music, what is the point of the post? Well, we all have different experiences with music, what we like, whether we play any instruments, our favourite artists or favourite songs, and it’s something unique to us all. There is, however, some fascinating science behind music, the power it may hold over our emotions, and the effect it has on our brains.

Frisson, let’s talk about it!

Now, frisson itself is the body’s emotional reaction to intense stimuli, and it causes goosebumps. When people get goosebumps from musical stimuli, that is referred to as musical frisson; however, for the purpose of this post, I will simply refer to it as frisson.

Brains are fascinating, but why does this happen to some people and not others? Well, we know already that the act of getting those goosebumps is sort of your brain’s way of trying to process the pleasure it is experiencing from the stimuli you have given it. Studies suggest, however, that those of us who do experience goosebumps suggest that our brains are wired differently to those who don’t.

Harvard University found that in a scientific study of ten people who experience goosebumps from music, and ten people who don’t, those who did have more, stronger connecting fibres in their brains connecting the auditory cortex (the bit of your brain that hears) to the emotional processing part of your brain. So what does this mean? Well, it means that those who experience goosebumps are actually scientifically proven to have better emotional intelligence and the ability to process stronger emotions than those who don’t! Other studies suggest that those who are ‘chill-prone’ have more active imaginations and the ability to reflect more deeply on their emotions. How fascinating!

As fascinating as this is, however, evolutionarily speaking, it has no significance; however, socially, the opposite could be said.

So why does this interest me so much?

As I’ve already said at the start of this post, I am fascinated by things that affect the brain and how it works, but more than that, I was intrigued to see what the effect of frisson is on neurodiverse people. Scientifically speaking, people who are neurodiverse have difficulties regulating or expressing their emotions, and I can certainly say I have experienced this in my own way. I experience a lot of emotional processing delays or occasional difficulties pinpointing my emotions to a word more complex than happy or sad.

Emotions are cool, but why are there a billion words to describe happiness? Is one not enough?

Neurodiverse people may also experience a lack of emotional responses, or on the flip side, very intense emotional responses, so I was curious if, scientifically, there was a link. Of course, all neurodiverse people are different and experience their symptoms differently, but on a scientific level, our brains are wired differently, so how does frisson affect us?

The level of emotions neurodiverse people experience that I referenced, is certainly a factor in whether or not, and how, frisson affects us. Preliminary findings of studies have shown that many autistic people are more prone to experiencing frisson and experience such with greater intensity than their neurotypical counterparts. A lot of the time, this is because people who are autistic or neurodiverse experience heightened sensory awareness, and it is said that this is why many autistic people experience frisson much more intensely.

Frisson actually plays a huge role in the lives of those autistic people who struggle with emotional regulation as it provides a way of stimulation and therefore, self-regulation. For many autistic people, frisson may be their way of ‘stimming’ (an action of self-soothing or emotional regulation found in autistic people), and with that, I can certainly agree. If I feel overwhelmed by my emotions, music is my fallback and my safe space. AirPods in, and the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack comes on. It is guarenteed to put a big smile on my face and get those goosebumps rolling.

Frisson is a fascinating phenomenon that affects around 50% of the population. As someone who is part of that 50%, I cannot imagine not experiencing it when I listen to my favourite music. Not experiencing it doesn’t mean you are stupid or socially inept; it just means your brain is a bit different, and that’s okay!

But, I bet I have sparked some curiosity in you all now. So go on, go and listen to your favourite music, the most grand, awe-inspiring piece, and see if you too experience musical frisson!