Princeton gastroenterologist Dr Anish Sheth claims the key to feeling poo-phoria is the need to pass a large stool.
It can be “like a religious experience or an orgasm”.
While passing the large stool, it can stimulate nerves in the body more usually associated with having an orgasm.
“The stool high is relatively safe, but can become an addiction for some,” he said.
As co-author of the book What’s Your Poo Telling You?, Dr Sheth said the key was passing a stool large enough to distend the rectum so it literally touches a nerve.
“The distension of the rectum that comes with the passing of a large mass of stool causes the vagus nerve to fire,” he added.
Previous research has shown that women having had complete spinal cord injury can experience orgasms through the vagus nerve, which can go from the uterus, cervix, and, it is presumed, the ****** to the brain.
“To some it may feel like a religious experience, to others like an orgasm, and to a lucky few like both,” Dr Sheth said in his book.
Dr Sheth said the high one has, dubbed “poo-phoria”, is caused by a drop in blood flow.
“The net effect of this is a drop in your heart rate and blood pressure, which in turn decreases blood flow to the brain,” he said.
“When mild, the light-headedness can lead to a sense of sublime relation — the high.
“However, a more significant drop in brain perfusion can cause ‘defecation syncope’, a dangerous syndrome that results in a loss of consciousness.”