People at one of my recent book events (but not the one I describe here).
While I was sitting at a bookselling event today, waiting for someone to come to my table, I experienced a feeling I’ve had only a few times in my life: a tingle that travels from the back of my neck up to my scalp, and I kind of zone out.
It’s a pleasant feeling – one I first felt in elementary school when the rest of the class was bent to their work and the teacher was writing on the chalkboard – the chalk rasping softly on the board. It was peaceful, and then the tingling began in my neck and travelled up my scalp. My eyes unfocused and I was just living and feeling in the moment.
Today it happened while there was a large crowd at my bookselling event. People were visiting various tables where artists were displaying their wares around me. Their talk was a low hum, everyone was busy looking at the artists’ offerings or in conversation. I observed the scene and the tingling began.
I realized that in all the books I’ve read or conversations I’ve had, I’ve never heard anyone else describe a feeling like this.
I tried to figure out just what it was. It’s peaceful and fuzzy. Dare I say I was contented????
Maybe that’s it: scalp-tingling contentment. Has anyone else ever experienced this, or am I just weird? By the way, I had sold a lot of books by this time, so I was content in that respect. (Smirk.)
Marie's Meanderings 
Yes, I’ve experienced this, but only a few times and I’ve heard other people describe it also. My high school choir teacher used to talk about when everyone was hitting the right now and the whole choir was singing just right the hair on the back of his neck to stand up … in a good way.
My mother said that she had this feeling about a day after giving birth. She described it as an incredible feeling of happiness and contentment.
Oh good – glad to hear I am not the only one to have had this feeling! Some of my Facebook friends are referring to it as “bliss,” but to me that seems too strong a word. This is like a quiet peaceful sort of bliss – like a mini-bliss, perhaps. And it seems to require the presence of other people around at the time. Maybe it’s like a social bliss….
One of my other Facebook friends sent me info about “flow,” which is a sweet spot between boredom (waiting for people to come to my table) and anxiety (actually talking to them once they arrive!). I think what I was experiencing was a type of “flow.” And I was watching other people engaged with each other in a type of flow.