The Surprising Truth Behind Why Our Bodies Suddenly Shiver All Over

Ever had one of those moments when a killer guitar solo kicks in or a movie scene hits you so hard that you get chills? No, you’re not turning into a walking thermometer — that full-body shiver is just your brain doing some weird emotional gymnastics. Sure, we all know shivers when we’re freezing or battling a fever, but psychogenic shivers? That’s a whole different beast. They sneak up on you outta nowhere, leaving you wondering if it’s some ghostly curse or just your nerves misfiring. Spoiler alert: it’s neither. Félix Schoelleris, this brainiac from Paris, dives into why these goosebumps happen — and it’s nothing like the old “someone stepped on your grave” tale. Turns out, these shivers might be tied to deep mental conflicts or even the ancient dawn of human thought itself. So next time you find yourself shaking when agreeing with someone perfectly or feeling that inexplicable wave during your favorite tune, maybe you’re tapping into something primal — the shiver of the first-ever brilliant thought. Makes you wanna understand more, agree more… or maybe just chill out and enjoy the ride. LEARN MORE.

Ever listen to one of your favourite songs, or watch one of your favourite movies and suddenly get chills? Yeah, don’t worry, you’ve not got the flu, it’s perfectly normal.

Of course, it’s not just entertainment that causes them; you can also get the chills when you’re cold, or even when you’re unwell, as your body shivers in an attempt to raise your core temperature.

But when you’re well, and your body temperature is OK, there’s another type of shiver. The full body shiver, also known as the psychogenic shivers, has left people confused over the years – so, why do we do it?

Well, Félix Schoelleris a research fellow at the Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity in Paris, has given his explanation of why he believes we get ‘full body shivers’, and it’s got nothing to do with the cold, or the common urban legend that it happens when someone steps on your grave.

Cold shivers might be your brain dealing with conflict (Getty Stock Images)

Schoelleris explained: “We know that psychogenic shivers can be inhibited by an excitant, the opioid-antagonist naloxone. Naloxone is what you would inject in a clinical setting to a patient who is victim of an overdose; it is the antagonist of morphine.”

He continued to explain that ‘stories that provoke the shivers might bring about this relief of tension by allowing humans to overcome conflicts among fundamental parts of the mind’.

If his theories are right, there are two triggers for ‘full body shivers’; one of which is biological, and the other, cultural.

In the case of the biological trigger, consider when you’ve previously had conversations, and the other person is 100% on the same page as you. You’ve drawn the same conclusions and have the same opinions. Shivers, right?

In the end, the biological explanation connects the beginning of human thinking to big changes in temperature at that time.

We might see a link between how our brain works and how our body controls temperature because of the moment when thinking first began.

In other words, the first human thought might have come with a shiver. And maybe, even today, we repeat that moment every time we understand something important.

There could be biological and cultural reasons behind shivers (Getty Stock Images)

So, if you’re not a fan of ‘someone walking over your grave’, the fix is simple: stop understanding things, and stop agreeing with people.

I’ve personally never experienced these shivers, which begs the question, do I need to start trying to understand more, and agree with more people? Yes.

Will I? Probably not.