Why does your body get the chills when you get scared?

Question

I am watching ghost hunters and some of the stuff on the show is making me tingle and shiver. I have chills and would like to know why is it that when someone gets scared their body tingles and shivers and feels cold.

Answer 1

Are you kidding me? That show is boring and repetitive. Not to mention un-scary.

Nonetheless this is a good question.

Answer 2

This is called the 'Fight or Flight Syndrome' - FFS - it's a natural chemical and nervous system reaction to a threat .... when under threat - real or perceived - the body goes into survival mode... that means all the body's blood is being sent to the major organs (to ensure their survival and ability to work), all the nerve endings twitch and send massive signals all over the body - ready to respond to a physical attack - hense tingling, hair itching and feels like it's standing up (a bit like when dogs feel under threat - their hackles stand up) the shivers is the blood flowing through your veins being pumped at a higher rate, heart thumping as a response to a threat - making sure blood reaches all the important parts and so is withdrawn from other parts like your hands, feet, nose, ears - hence you feel cold .....

You must really get into Ghosthunters!

Answer 3

I am no expert, but my understanding is that somatic symptoms of fear, like the shivers, are a sort of exaggerated response of the autonomic nervous system (fight or flight response.)  Your body doesn't understand the difference between a bear running at you and the images on the screen.  All it knows is fear/anxiety= danger (aka run like heck!!!!) So although you do not need highly stimulated senses to help you survive a television program about ghosts, your body disagrees and provides you with the extra oomph to run from or beat up that bear it thinks is chasing you.  If you were running from a bear, you would have the same acutely sensitive sight. hearing, sense of touch etc but you wouldn't notice it because it would be helpful not harmful, so you wouldn't get "the jibblies"