Maybe what people feel when they hold a rock (and pay attention) is a magnetic field that flows through some of them.

When I was a kid I used to collect rocks everywhere I went (and fallen pretty leaves, pine cones, and anything else that caught my eye, etc.) When I held some of the rocks for long enough I would seem to feel a current flowing through many of the rocks. I told my dad about it and he tried it and could also feel this current. One day I found one where that field seemed to go the opposite direction of the others.

I showed my dad who told me that particular rock had probably been formed before the last pole flip. I have no idea if what he told me was correct but it seemed to make sense to me at the time.

Geez, I think I'll have to find the time to go rock hunting again! I'm curious now.