Thrills, chills, frissons, and skin orgasms: Toward an integrative model of transcendent psychophysiological experiences in music

Abstract

Music has a unique power to elicit moments of intense emotional and psychophysiological response. These moments - termed "chills," "thrills", "frissons," etc. - are subjects of introspection and philosophical debate, as well as scientific study in music perception and cognition. The present article integrates the existing multidisciplinary literature in an attempt to define a comprehensive, testable, and ecologically valid model of transcendent psychophysiological moments in music. © 2014 Harrison and Loui.