"But his research suggests that those who experience the chills while listening to music weren’t always those having a deep emotional connection. Instead,
his study showed that people engaged in the music more intellectually, like trying to predict the melody or putting mental imagery to the music, were more likely to get a shiver when the music deviated from their expectations in a positive way."
By
Jason Daley smithsonian.com
June 20, 2016
The "frissons" not arising from an emotional experience but rather an intellectual experience? Not so sure. For instance I distinctly recall an event years ago (local Scottish Highland Games) when the collected Pipe & Drum bands joined together for the finale of Amazing Grace. This day I remember getting the chilly-willies while hearing the mass of bagpipes on the front stretch (fair ground horse track). The distinct wail of the pipes echoed throughout the stands around us before a slow decay. That seemed then, and now, highly emotional and not so much intellectual. Then again, I was not expecting the effect of the sheer volume and impact coming out of the collective bands. Hmmmm.