‘The nipple touch of doom’: what is sad nipple syndrome and what causes it?

People everywhere are searching for the reason behind their sudden bursts of anguish or homesickness

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Some say it feels like a sudden burst of anguish; others liken it more to homesickness. The sudden onset of a sinking, upsetting feeling due to nipple stimulation is anecdotally known as Sad Nipple Syndrome (SNS), and for Sandra, it can be triggered by something as commonplace as putting on a shirt.

“I was probably a child when I first noticed: ‘Why does touching my nipple make me sad?’” says the 28-year-old. The sensation seemed to happen at random, and without the words to describe it, she kept it a secret. It wasn’t until college that she worked up the courage to Google it. “I realized I wasn’t crazy,” she says.