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Debate: What are goose pimples?
It is that time of the year again — winter. Brrr! Socks and stockings, sweaters and scarves are draped and donned as temperatures drop. Out come all the woollies as we rush to keep ourselves warm against the biting cold. In this chilly weather have you noticed how your skin tingles with tiny goose pimples?
What are goose pimples? Goose pimples (or goose bumps, as they are sometimes called) are those strange little bumps that automatically crop up when we are very cold. Thankfully, their occurrence is short lived.
What causes them to occur? When it is cold, the duct to the sweat glands becomes small to conserve heat and our blood vessels also become narrow so as to save heat. Due to this, the hair muscle (arrector muscle) pulls the hair up. In this way, the skin at the base of each hair gets pulled and that is called a goose pimple.
We can’t control the times when our goose pimples appear or disappear, because it is an automatic reaction or reflex. When we are cold, our brain automatically sends a message to tiny muscles under each of the small hairs on our skin. The muscles then work to pull the hair straight up instead of the usual position which is to lie on its side.
Goose pimples can also occur when you are frightened. Just watch a spine chilling movie or have someone read a scary story out loud in a dimly lit room. Observe what happens.
As the tale of terror unravels, your eyes open wide with fright. Fingernails are, nervously, bitten away. You huddle up on the sofa, cowering beneath the blanket, and as fear makes your hair stand on end, goose bumps appear, then all of a sudden, someone….or something, taps you on the shoulder…...! Spooked, eh?
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