Life Sciences > Physiology & Medicine

Is it common or useful to be able to control goosebumps, and pulse, at will?

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Jolyon:
In your question of the week forum, there is some information regarding goosebumps.I have a curious [seemingly useless] ability to produce goosebumps at will, regardless of external stimuli [ie temperature, fear, excitement etc] and it has always intrigued me. I have been led to believe that goosebumps are produced by an area of the brain that is reponsible for our instinctual/reflex behavior [the primative brain stem or medulla found at the base of the skull] and therefore should not be able to be controlled at will. I also have noticed that I am able to increase my pulse rate at will [without any change in physical exertion] which, I have observed, islinked to the my ability to produce goosebumps. Is this common/useful?
any ideas? I would be happy to discuss this further.

Quantumcat:
That's freaky, if you're telling the truth.

I can squeeze a muscle inside my ear if that's interesting lol, useful for plane rides.

Am I dead? Am I alive? I'm both!

Jolyon:
Yes, telling the truth, this remarkable- [irony]- skill is real, just not sure how or why. Just thought it may interest someone from a research point of veiw.

tweener:
I care.  It sounds very interesting.

When I was in college I was very much into meditation, and I could control all sorts of autonomic nervous system activities.  I never tried goose bumps except to stop them when I was cold (I could prevent shivering(sp?) also).

I've since lost the knack but would like to get back into it.

------------------------
No words of wisdom here.

Jolyon:
Hi guys, still trying to get the hang of this forum thing,
I have been doing a little more research on controlling the autonomic system and have found that some poker players repress aspects of this system to avoid being read by other players,[poker-face] no-one describes how they do it exactly but I thought it may be related.
I have a further querie relating to this that I hope someone can offer some ideas. To increase my heart rate, as described in my opening question, I think I must be increasing the amount of adrenaline to my heart, if this is in fact what's happening, would it then theoretically be possible to control other glands at will, eg sweat?

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