goosebumps_wave1No, not the amazing awesome book series I owned every copy of and probably never completed one all the way through, but human goosebumps. MSN has a sweet article on 13 crazy bodily functions we often don’t know the root of and one was highlighting what causes goosebumps..

1. What causes goose bumps?

Goose bumps (scientific name: piloerection) pop up when you’re cold or afraid. A tiny muscle at the base of each body hair contracts; together, they appear as naked bumps on the flesh. They made sense eons ago, when humans still had a natural “fur coat.” Back then, fluffing your ruff would warm the body by trapping an insulating layer of air between the hairs. And standing your hair on end was intimidating to predators or enemies (picture a cat facing off with a dog). Evolution has since stripped humans of their pelts. Now goose bumps are, of course, no medical issue. If you’re uncomfortable showing off your vestigial physiognomy, dress warmly, place yourself in calm environments, and avoid horror flicks.

Since today is Friday the 13th, it’s only appropriate to highlight 13 things that give me  goosebumps, aka scare me because I’m a chicken:

    Bad:                                                                         

 1. Wind….its cold                                       

 2. Snakes

 3. Heights

 4. Raw meat

 5. Spit

 6. Sharks

 7. Scary Movies

 8. Being unprepared for a test/presentation

9. Arlington National Cemetery

10. Needles

11. Bathroom Door Knobs

12. Running out of Diet Coke or Oatmeal

13. Natural Disasters