# Things that feel good because they're unpleasant (no, not bondage...) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 16, 2005, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899 "2005-12-16T11:16:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/1 "2005-12-16T11:16:05Z")
I personally know that I enjoy things like - eating spicy foods - being out in the cold (or jumping in cold water :D) - watching long, boring, and irrelevant films because they are unpleasant in a _good_ way, as in, they feel good because… Huh, I wonder why? Maybe because they help me feel alive, they invigorate me, etc. Let’s not talk about sadistic pleasures or BDSM or any of that; I’m just asking if you guys have anything like what I’ve named that you enjoy doing because it is unpleasant and therefore fulfilling in some way. ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/2 "2005-12-16T12:09:10Z")
Cracking my knuckles. And neck. And back. And knees. And toes. And elbows. And all those other joints that don’t really have names. Feels soooo good! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/3 "2005-12-16T12:18:35Z")
Sad movies. My husband can’t for the life of him understand why I like to watch movies that make me cry. “Why do you put yourself through that? And then do it AGAIN?” It’s “Good” bad. ---
**Author:** ![carlotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@carlotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlotta)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/4 "2005-12-16T16:59:33Z")
The “good” pain from a massage of sore muscles. My husband does not get this (and perhaps that is why his idea of a massage is more like petting a cat) but I love a massage that hurts a little (not too much!) ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/5 "2005-12-16T18:21:34Z")
Sore muscles after a hard workout. And, for that matter, the hard workout itself. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/6 "2005-12-16T18:33:40Z")
Touching a canker sore with your tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Pythian\_Habenero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Pythian\_Habenero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythian_Habenero)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/7 "2005-12-16T18:38:35Z")
Home wart freezers. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/8 "2005-12-16T21:30:12Z")
wasabi ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/9 "2005-12-16T21:46:42Z")
Picking of my scabs Scratching open my mosquito bites Eating Hunan food from a genuine Hunan restaurant in China. Hottest/Spiciest food I’ve ever eaten. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/10 "2005-12-16T23:04:46Z")
Plucking nose hairs. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/11 "2005-12-17T00:03:00Z")
Scratching mosquito bites until they bleed, and then putting Benadryl gel on them. That sting feels sooooo good and gets rid of the itch like nobody’s business! The sting of a really hot hot bath after being out in the cold for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/12 "2005-12-17T00:07:31Z")
A nice big poop. ---
**Author:** ![Kuizelemartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19b73/32.png) [@Kuizelemartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuizelemartz)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/13 "2005-12-17T00:11:04Z")
Eating so much pizza that I feel like I’m going to explode. Half a large pizza down, half to go. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/14 "2005-12-17T00:16:16Z")
The sting of really pungent blue cheese. So strong it makes my eyes water and my mouth flood with saliva, while causing that ache just under the ears. (Yes, this is the type of blue cheese I mentioned in the "has food ever made you orgasm thread.) Also salt water on really itchy skin. I had this awful itchy skin when I was pregnant with my first, and I used to scratch it 'till it bled and then put rags soaked in salty ice water on it. The sting (and lack of itch) was orgasmic. ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/15 "2005-12-17T01:02:10Z")
A sneeze that you feel coming. The tingle in the nasal passage, the wrinkling up of your nose and face as you feel it about to explode, and then sneezing so hard you almost lose consciousness. The burn of a phenergan/demerol shot as they put it in your IV. I swear I’m not a junkie! They were all administered while I was in the hospital, and the nurse would always warn me, “Now this will burn going in”. Oh, it burns, alright…like a sweet righteous fire of cleansing. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/16 "2005-12-17T01:14:38Z")
Running or swimming as fast as I can for a long distance (10K, marathon, ultra). ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/17 "2005-12-17T01:29:47Z")
Sometimes the congestion that comes with a chest cold isn’t _entirely_ unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/18 "2005-12-17T01:48:59Z")
The Gods will strike me with the terrible flu for putting this in writing, but . . . The beginning of getting sick, when you’re achey, but not dying yet, and have an excuse to just let it all go and fall in to bed. Along these lines, being pleasantly ill (floaty and out of it, but not barfy or in terrible pain) and watching shows on daytime TV you normally don’t touch with a ten-foot eye pole. Also, having my hair pulled in a gentle-ish manner. ---
**Author:** ![WishIHadACoolName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WishIHadACoolName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WishIHadACoolName)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/19 "2005-12-17T01:51:04Z")
Poking a bruise. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899/20 "2005-12-17T02:04:35Z")
Popping pimples. Deep, phlemgy coughs that make your whole chest vibrate. Getting a tattoo. Getting pierced. Watching scary movies. Riding rollercoasters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-feel-good-because-theyre-unpleasant-no-not-bondage/335899.md?page=2)