Why do some people get chills from music or art? Genetics may play a role
A powerful piece of music, a moving poem, or a striking painting can sometimes trigger a sudden shiver down the spine. These brief sensations (often described as aesthetic chills or goosebumps) are a familiar experience for many people. Yet not everyone experiences them in the same way.
New research using Lifelines data suggests that part of this variation may be linked to genetic differences. By combining genetic data with questionnaire responses from more than 15,000 Lifelines participants, researchers explored why some individuals are more prone to these emotional responses to art and music than others.
Their findings provide new insight into the biological and psychological factors that shape how people experience art.
A physiological response to powerful experiences
Aesthetic chills are short, intense reactions that can occur during emotionally powerful moments in music, literature, or visual art. They may involve goosebumps, tingling sensations, or a feeling of shivers along the spine.
Researchers have long been interested in these responses because they represent a measurable physiological reaction linked to emotional experiences. However, people differ considerably in how often they experience chills. While some individuals frequently report them when engaging with music or other art forms, others rarely do.
The study set out to investigate whether genetic variation contributes to these individual differences.
Investigating chills using Lifelines data
To address this question, the researchers analysed data from 15,606 genotyped Lifelines participants.
Participants completed questionnaires that included questions about whether they experience chills when engaging with artistic or cultural stimuli such as music, poetry, or visual art. These responses were then analysed alongside participants’ genetic data.
Because Lifelines combines extensive questionnaire data, family relationships, and genomic information, we offer a unique opportunity to investigate how genetic and environmental factors contribute to complex behavioural and emotional traits.
Genetic influences on aesthetic chills
The analysis showed that around 30% of the variation in proneness to chills was associated with familial factors, with a portion of this variation attributable to common genetic variants measured in DNA data.
The researchers also found evidence that some genetic influences are shared across different artistic domains. Individuals who are genetically more prone to experiencing chills from music, for example, may also be more likely to experience chills when engaging with other forms of art.
At the same time, the findings suggest that not all genetic influences are shared across domains, indicating that different artistic experiences may involve partly distinct biological pathways.
In addition, the study observed an association between chills and a genetic predisposition for the personality trait “openness to experience”, a trait linked to imagination, curiosity, and engagement with artistic and cultural experiences.
What this means for research
The findings indicate that genetic variation contributes to how individuals experience emotional responses to art and music. At the same time, environmental factors and personal experiences remain an important part of the picture.
More broadly, the study demonstrates how large population cohorts like Lifelines can be used to investigate complex human traits that combine emotional, behavioural, and biological components.
By linking genetic data with detailed questionnaire information across thousands of participants, Lifelines provides researchers with a powerful resource for studying the biological foundations of human experiences, from health and behaviour to emotional responses to art.
