Why can music give you chills even when you are not cold?

Musical chills, or frisson, happen when your brain tries to predict a song's melody and gets surprised by a sudden shift, like a key change or a vocal drop^[2][5]. This unexpected moment triggers your brain's reward system, flooding your body with dopamine^[1][5]. Your nervous system reacts with physical sensations like goosebumps, pupil dilation, or a shiver down your spine, even though you aren't actually cold^[1][2].

You can test this by listening for dramatic high notes or sudden drops in intensity in your favorite tracks^[2][5]. Does your favorite song give you chills every single time you hear it?