Call of the Void
Intrusive Thought
The experience of a sudden urge to act on an impulse that is precisely what your judgment is telling you not to do, such as overlooking from a tall height or the urge to pull a fire alarm for no reason.
EverydayConcepts.io
Origin
From the French l'appel du vide, an expression with roots in existentialist thought about freedom and dread. In 2012, psychologists at Florida State University gave the experience a clinical name — 'high place phenomenon' — and found it was surprisingly common, even among people with no history of suicidal ideation.
Updated February 22, 2026