February 24, 2026
Goosebumps: nature vs nurture?
Genetic underpinnings of chills from art and music
Do your goosebumps come from grandma? Internet splits over a ‘chills gene’
TLDR: A big Dutch study says about 30% of art-and-music goosebumps come from family and shared DNA, linked to being more open-minded. Commenters split between “genes matter,” “chills are trainable,” and “show us the playlist,” turning a lab finding into a lively debate over nature vs nurture.
Science says your goosebumps might be in your DNA, and the comments section immediately went full goosebump-gate. A Dutch study of 15,606 people found that about 30% of why we get chills from art, poetry, or music is tied to family factors, with part of that linked to common DNA variants. The same genes seem to play across different art forms (music and visuals are moderately connected), and being more open to experience—basically, curious and into new stuff—shows up in the data too.
Cue the crowd: one user dropped the Frisson link like a “educate yourselves” mic drop, while a classical fan swore Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” never fails, then wondered why no one else in their family feels it—team nature vs nurture, assemble. Transparency hawks demanded the actual playlist (“show us the goosebump bangers!”), noting the data isn’t publicly available. Meanwhile, a meditator claimed they can train chills with closed eyes and rocketship daydreams—DIY goosebump gym energy—backing the openness angle.
The jokes rolled in: “Next, a polygenic index for tearjerkers,” “Alexa, play my chills genotype,” and “Did they test TikTok or opera?” It’s a full-on vibes war: are your shivers born or built? The internet, predictably, says… both, and also please drop the playlist.
Key Points
- •Analysis of 15,606 genotyped individuals from the Netherlands shows up to 29% of variation in chills proneness is explained by familial relatedness.
- •Approximately one-fourth of the familial relatedness effect is attributable to common SNP variation, indicating additive genetic influences.
- •A moderate genetic correlation (0.58) exists between aesthetic (visual art, poetry) and music chills, suggesting shared genetic factors.
- •A polygenic index for openness to experience (built from n=220,015) is associated with susceptibility to both aesthetic and music chills.
- •Data were sourced from the Lifelines cohort; the article is open access in PLoS Genetics, with funding from Dutch and Max Planck organizations.