Can goosebumps be controlled?

The autonomic nervous system controls goosebumps. Autonomic means it is not under the voluntary control of the people experiencing this response — inducing goosebumps on the fly, whenever you feel like it is the equivalent to saying you can stop your heart on a whim if you soo choose.

There have been the occasional people here and there who seem to be able to control their goosebumps, but these people are few and far between. Most people do not have the luxury of being able to control their goosebumps. Others have said that they need to cause themselves to generate a specific emotional reaction purposely.

There have been so many conflicting reports on this. While some believe that it is impossible for goosebumps to be controlled, there are other reports that say it is possible to control goosebumps. Those who say otherwise are arguing on the strength that goosebumps are things which you cannot easily control to occur on your skin, arguing with the fact that the body hairs are attached to muscles, and not nerves can be easily controlled by the brain.

Those who believe it is possible are citing particular research conducted by James Heather, where he found out that some people can easily control goosebumps. These people can create goosebumps on their bodies without any form of stress. James Heather explained that creating a kind of tension on your neck can make goosebumps start spreading all over your body. If this works for you, it means you are among those who can control goosebumps voluntarily.