The human body can get up to some weird stuff, including something called “sad nipple syndrome.”
There are a lot of different ways our body reacts to stimuli and not all of them make sense, whether it’s sneezing when we look at a bright light, our fingers wrinkling when they get wet, or that weird full-body jerk that happens sometimes when we’re about to fall asleep. One specific way called “sad nipple syndrome” is going viral on TikTok right now and has many people wondering if they also have this phenomenon happening to them.
It started with a video by TikTok user tvboba.
The video shows tvboba lip syncing to the words “Something horrible is happening inside of me, and I don’t know why,” with the description, “When my nips get touched and I suddenly feel this uncontrollable sense of sadness.”
This seemed to resonate with people, with over 11 thousand comments and 700 thousand likes on the video expressing similar feelings.
A user called nap.onion took to the platform to explain what might be happening.
“Sad nipple syndrome,” she begins her video, adding , “this is my first time hearing about it but I’m so glad there’s a name for it because I thought I was like, the only one who felt this way.”
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She goes on to say, “Basically, the biggest theory right now is that when the nipples are touched, there’s a drop in dopamine.”
While there hasn’t been a lot of research has been done on the topic, there has been some speculation from medical professionals.
“It’s poorly understood but there’s some evidence to suggest that it’s related to a short-term drop in dopamine – a chemical related to pleasure – when the nipple is stimulated,” dermatologist Sreedhar Krishna said . “The same process could apply to anyone, but it’s reported most in breastfeeding.”
“It is largely unclear as to why these feelings of sadness or unrest occur,” said Dr. Giuseppe Aragona, a general practioner.
“One possibility for why this happens could be that those with very sensitive nipples find the sudden release of endorphins from having their nipples touched may in turn cause dysphoria. There is no real cause or answer to why this happens, and it could be down to a number of factors, psychological and physical,” he explained .
Has this ever happened to you? Let us know in the comments!