That Moment When Arijit Sings “Channa Mereya Mereya”
When your crush’s arm lightly brushes against yours. Tasting the most perfectly made warm Nutella pancakes in the world. Listening to amazing music. Tony Stark breathing his last during Endgame. Many such feelings of emotional excitement or bliss accompanied by the goosebumps you get on your body are called “Skingasms”. Cool word, right? Let us take a deep dive into the Biology, Psychology, and the Music Theory of Skingasms.
Skingasms – The Biology!
This was the nomadic human reaction to sudden environmental change, wherein body hair stood on end to retain a layer of heat. Nowadays, since we don’t need that reaction, only around 2/3 people can experience Skingasms. The experience is called ‘Frisson’ (pronounced ‘free-sawn’), which is French for ‘Aesthetic chills’ since most people get them while experiencing various art forms.
The Psychology behind Skingasms
People who experience skingasms score higher on an ‘Openness to Experience’ personality test, tend to have more intellectual curiosity, appreciate nature, and want more variety in life. This is directly related to a study at the Eastern Washington University, wherein an individual’s emotional arousal to the music he was listening to coincided with when they experienced Skingasms. You can find the details of the study here. Such people have deep emotional reactions to the music they listen to or the art they consume.
The Music Theory
People who get skingasms are most often listening to music when they do. This is because in music, our brain automatically assumes what’s going to come next based off of other music we have heard before, and if it takes an unexpected turn or change of vocals/scale/ harmonics, it creates an atmosphere of unfamiliarity for the brain, to which it reacts to by giving you a Skingasm.
Musicians and composers like Hans Zimmer most famously use this effect to layer their compositions with sounds at different harmonic frequencies to try and trigger Skingasms, since it makes their music much more memorable.
Are you among the people who can experience skingasms? If so, which song never fails to do so? Let us know in the comments!