Why does music give us the chills?

[Syne]

The reaction is called frisson.

Colver, who has also studied the phenomenon, says that previous research shows that the ability to experience a frisson is related to a personality trait called Openness to Experience. 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. - http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news...180959481/

So while frisson has been described as a skin orgasm, it may be more akin to laughter over a punchline.