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Frisson

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Have you ever felt a sudden, passing sensation of excitement, a shudder of emotion from an epic moment of a song, or a climax of a movie? That is what is called "frisson", a word rooted from the French word meaning "Goosebumps" or "Shiver". It has been linked to rises in dopamine levels.

Feel free to discuss frisson, and post links that give you some really great vibes. :)

Related Links:

Frisson Grooveshark

Frisson's Reddit Playlister

Frisson's Wavelength

Related subreddits:

r/music

r/trance

Note: You may get ASMR confused with frisson!

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Think about this (x-post from r/trees) (i.imgur.com)

submitted ago by Hi_Friend

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[–]reallifedog 58 points59 points ago

I find myself thinking about this regularly and it gives me frisson. Glad to have a term for it.

[–]DerpyWhale 6 points7 points ago

I love thinking about it. And when you bring it back to the point that you are seeing this person, you can understand why they are doing such a thing because you have imagined them and what brought them to this place to touch upon your life once, but maybe never again.

[–]doctormaxvonsydow 37 points38 points ago

"None of those people is an extra. They're all the leads of their own stories. They have to be given their due." - Caden, Synechdoche New York

[–]goddamnhivemind 4 points5 points ago

My immediate reaction to this definition was that film. Definitely one of my top 5, though it's so painfully real and crushingly depressing that I have to pick very carefully when to re-watch it.

[–]shnooqichoons 2 points3 points ago

Need to rewatch that film.

[–]IamTypingWithOneHand 2 points3 points ago

This movie = Frisson overdose.

Gotta love Charlie Kaufman.

[–]Fake-Empire 1 point2 points ago

Also a depression overdose (for me). Such a brilliant film.

[–]HYPERTWIN 0 points1 point ago

I'd never heard of it - just watched a preview and now have it downloading. Looks good!

[–]OppositeTalk 7 points8 points ago

I remember realizing this as a kid. I think it's one of the more profound insights I've ever had.

It made me feel so sad, so small, so unimportant and not unique.

Now I think it's pretty damn awesome that most other people think these things too. There are no extras, each life is as valid and unique as my own. It makes me feel very happy, important and connected to my fellow man.

[–]Ignite_My_Paradigm 10 points11 points ago

That is a great paragraph, however that isn't the definition of sonder. That is from urban dictionary.

[–]mogest 15 points16 points ago

It doesn't look like the word is defined/used anywhere else (apart from copies from urban dictionary.) It's a pity because I'd love a word to describe that sensation.

One of the meanings of sonder in French is "to search to understand/know", the related noun sondage means a survey or poll. So it's not a bad choice, if one wanted to invent a new word.

[–]NotABadassOverHere 5 points6 points ago

I think it's actually from this blog entry

[–]darkharlequin 3 points4 points ago

This website fantastic. So much of this gives me frission. Thanks for posting it.

[–]Act_of_Rebellion 4 points5 points ago

Now this gives me frission. Thanks for this. Truly excellent. I think I'm going to read that book I've been putting off...

[–]juraffe 5 points6 points ago

I have such a hard time wrapping my head around this on a daily basis. I wish we could view other perspectives more easily.

[–]ThaddyG 9 points10 points ago

Awesome. Unbearably awesome. This is just, man, straight out of my brain, you know? This is like the most beautiful aspect of language

http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/post/27720773573/kenopsia

And that, too, wow. I actually get a feeling that's something like deja vu or ASMR when I find myself somewhere like that. This whole site is unbelievable.

[–]skakruk -2 points-1 points ago

Frisson is not ASMR. Frison is goosebumps. ASMR is tingles on the scalp as a response to triggers like whispers, accents, brushing sounds, etc.

[–]ThaddyG 2 points3 points ago

...I know, buddy. The feeling I'm talking is not like frisson. Hence the mentioning of things other than frisson.

[–]paradoc 4 points5 points ago

I keep finding myself on the edge of disbelief. How could there possibly be that many, across the world, on unseen planets ...

I figure most must be NPCs.

[–]samlan 2 points3 points ago

There is a term for this sort of thinking: Solipsism.

[–]paradoc 1 point2 points ago

TIL. Thanks for the reply. From the link "solus (alone) and ipse (self)" ... that's kinda sad ...

[–]scottyah 2 points3 points ago

Is this not normal to realize? I dont think I see a single person without wondering what their story is or why they look as mad, happy or sad as they do.

[–]ChickenLurker 8 points9 points ago

Precisely. And I didn't need weed to make me realize it either.

[–]mikarm 1 point2 points ago

I think a lot of people don't really care what some random stranger is doing or why they are there. I am like you, I always wonder what path someone is on and why they are going there.

[–]samlan 3 points4 points ago

The website where this came from is full of definitions like that. Amazing stuff.

[–]Optimal_Joy 1 point2 points ago

Sonder = Holophrasis

[–]ascendence 0 points1 point ago

That is awesome.

[–]danielvutran 1 point2 points ago

I find it funny that the people that recognize / relate to this feeling more and more are actually the ones more likely to be active in the community / etc. And others that choose to ignore it (like me lol.) are more focused about "their" world, and are more independent rather than co-dependent.

Luckily, the world needs both!

[–]Nuggetry 1 point2 points ago

I was literally thinking about this (not the word though) about 30 minutes ago. Gives me a great feeling and is a big reason why I still have a positive outlook on life.

[–]TheeSweeney 1 point2 points ago

This is the exact reason why i could never imagine killing anyone for any reason.

[–]smash790 0 points1 point ago

Well that got epic quickly.

[–]weflyhigh69 0 points1 point ago

I'm going to go play the sims now

[–]johnrkennedy 0 points1 point ago

it's kinda like that xkcd comic a couple days ago ... WHOA

[–]chaoticflanagan 0 points1 point ago

I think about this whenever I consider killing someone.

[–]spvvvt 0 points1 point ago

sonder (verb.)- to probe

Wiktionary just doesn't make it sound as elegant.

[–]The_Karate_Kid 0 points1 point ago

I didn't get frisson from this, but it's a very humbling sentiment.

[–]Hi_Friend[S] 1 point2 points ago

Glad you all enjoyed this as much as I did! I remember as a kid feeling this for the first time while looking up into the sky at an airplane, and wondering what the people in that big metal cylinder are doing, where they're going, and if they are looking down at me thinking the same things. It truly is profound!

[–]WHATBACON 0 points1 point ago

I always think this when on the road. Where are all these people going? Why are they not home?

[–]Btone 0 points1 point ago

It's happening right now and all around us. Now we can all vanish, cloaked by the bricks of text from others fleeting in the same peculiar fashion. Good luck to all of you!

[–]ThePhenix 1 point2 points ago

Also x-x-post from /r/whatstheword

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