How often do you get goosebumps? What the tingling reaction says about your health

Goosebumps are the result of tiny muscular reflexes that make the hairs on the skin stand on end in a bid to trap heat. They are, for the most part benign. Conflicting evidence shows the reflex is as indicative of good health, as it is of bad health.

In rare instances, however, goosebumps may signal disease in the brain.

A body of research shows that goosebumps can occur in conjunction with seizures in those who suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy.

In this condition, the seizure starts in the part of the brain that controls emotions.

It is said that those who experience goosebumps as a result of the seizure may also experience confusion.

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Harvard Health explains: “Though rare, goosebumps can be a sign of a seizure disorder called temporal lobe epilepsy, a disorder of the sympathetic nervous system, or other brain disorders.”

Alongside brain disorders, piloerection can be triggered by a range of emotions, including fear, shock, anxiety or inspiration.

Other causes include the sympathetic nervous system, which comprises a series of autonomous reflexes that are activated when danger is sensed.

These reflexes can also activate sweat glands and accelerate heart rates in the face of danger.

When the brain perceives a situation to be dangerous, the sympathetic nervous system will order the hairs to stand, in a similar way to how cats respond to threatening.