Why that strange grundle tingle?

July 14, 2007 10:50 PM

Why does the grundle get a strange feeling when you are up high?

I know this sounds like a strange question, but a friend and I were talking about this tonight. We were on the top of a fairly tall building and noticed that when we leaned over the edge, the area that is commonly called the grundle got a strange feeling (a tingle), almost telling me to be careful. It happens on roller coasters or generally when you are teetering on the edge.

Is there some science to this? Do girls get this feeling?

posted by names are hard to health & fitness (18 comments total)

As a girl, I get in my knees.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 11:03 PM on July 14, 2007

the grundle = the taint, for those not au fait, as I.
posted by mwhybark at 11:20 PM on July 14, 2007

Girl - I get it in my lower abominal area.
posted by iconomy at 11:26 PM on July 14, 2007

My warning tingle is right under my ribs, and sometimes on my back.
posted by internet!Hannah at 11:31 PM on July 14, 2007

Is it just adrenaline? Why does it hit so specifically?
posted by tristeza at 11:34 PM on July 14, 2007

Perhaps it's related to how thrill-seekers like to link or compare things like jumping out of a plane, etc, to sexual excitement.
posted by SassHat at 12:13 AM on July 15, 2007

Extreme fear can cause you to lose control of your sphincter muscle. Maybe you're feeling the beginnings of that.
posted by gfrobe at 12:58 AM on July 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

I (female) attribute to the drive to reproduce following a life-threatening experience. Happens for me in near car accidents as well.
posted by b33j at 1:11 AM on July 15, 2007

Well, I feel it in the grundle, but it becomes unbearably strong at the point where my nose meets my forehead. As a small kid I could feel it while riding swings, now in rollercoasters.

I have no answers to offer, but have had this same question for years.
posted by Dataphage at 4:22 AM on July 15, 2007

The taint = the perineum, for those still not actually American after reading Metafilter all these years.

The sensation is probably related to anxiety.
posted by strawberryviagra at 6:06 AM on July 15, 2007

It's reminding you to save your ass from getting killed.
posted by wsg at 11:03 AM on July 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

I feel the tingle somewhere in my torso - maybe the solar plexus? I can't really pinpoint it. When I was a kid I saw a movie at IMAX about the history of flight, and I had that sensation through the whole movie, because there were scenes throughout where it felt like I was actually flying, dropping, spinning, etc.
posted by peep at 1:53 PM on July 15, 2007

Girl. I get it in the stomach, same as any other adreanaline.
posted by dame at 3:09 PM on July 15, 2007

(As a guy), Yeah, I totally get this. I'm guessing it's the testicles freaking out about the danger and retracting toward the body, for protection, as they are wont to do.
posted by J-Train at 5:37 PM on July 15, 2007

I get this feeling right in the ass, and have always figured that's because if I were in serious danger my sphincter would let go, like gfrobe says. Stage fright tugs at that muscle a little bit, too. I am a girl.
posted by climalene at 7:49 PM on July 15, 2007

I'm with J-Train. Landing gear retraction.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:04 AM on July 16, 2007

I gotta point out that 'grundle' is a pretty unique word.

This question is on the first page of search results for it. Did you or someone you know make it up?
posted by dmd at 11:41 AM on July 16, 2007

Maybe it's your body's way of telling you that, if you happen to fall from your high perch and take a tumble, this is the spot that you should start kissing.
posted by UnclePlayground at 12:01 PM on July 16, 2007