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This study methodically analyses the physical characteristics of piloerection across various sites on the human body. We identify significant variability in the phenotypic expression of piloerection, ranging from subtle to highly conspicuous events. Contrary to the common conception of “goosebumps” as being large and obvious bumps on the skin, our results indicated a significant frequency of less intense episodes of piloerection. Small and subtle piloerection events were by far the most frequent and the large, obvious events were the least frequent. On average, we found the duration of piloerection to be 10.09 seconds, with more intense episodes lasting longer. An incidental yet pivotal aspect of our research was the independent validation of the Gooselab software, which our data suggests fails to reliably detect even the most pronounced piloerection events. By thoroughly describing the piloerection process, our research fills a critical gap necessary for accurate measurement and assessment of this physiological response. The study emphasizes the superiority of manual analysis for capturing the full scope of piloerection characteristics, a method we advocate for its precision, reliability, and potential for generating insightful data. This data not only challenges the current automated analytical techniques but also enhances the scientific understanding of understudied physiological responses in humans.
McPhetres et al. (Mon,) studied this question.