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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Colby chapter.

Sounds. Some are more pleasing than others and can be listened to all day, while others are like torture to the ear. However, this is all very subjective because what may sound pleasurable to one person can sound horrendous to another. I personally became aware of this when I first started seeing videos of people eating very noisy or squishy foods while whispering into a microphone. I thought to myself, “Wow, I can really hear everything in her mouth. It’s oddly satisfying.”

Why did I like hearing her crunch on the fried chicken and mix the gravy into the mashed potatoes? Why was I now craving this food? I was basically salivating. But then it reminded me of how I also have had moments of auditory wonder with songs. Because these songs so sound pleasing, I have often questioned, “How did they come up with this combination of sounds? How did they layer and now it would have that effect on the listener?” This is basically the whole premise of ASMR.

ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response which produces a tingly or static-like feeling that resonates on the skin and through the body. It extends from the the bottom of one’s toes all the way to the top of their head. The formal term for the feeling produced by these sounds is called attention induced euphoria or auditory induced head orgasm. When experiencing this “low grade euphoria,” many people have described this sensation as a “brain orgasm” and even “brain massage” (sleep.org).

Photo by CoWomen on Unsplash

There are different types of ASMR videos out there on the big beautiful web. Some videos have food as the subject like fried chicken, spicy noodles, sushi, barbeque, seafood, exotic foods that are hard to find, gummy candies and especially dessert. Many of these food videos can be found on YouTube from YouTubers like @SAS_ASMR, @ASRTheChew, and @Mayapolarbear (this one is cute pup eating the foods). Some of the videos include blowing, paper crinkling, interacting with slime, rubbing on surfaces, gentle touching, tapping, applying makeup and face masks, keyboard sounds, drawing, interacting with paint and of course the biggest of all, whispering.

Here are some videos with people you might recognize:

  1. Michelob ULTRA | ASMR with Zoë Kravitz ~ https://youtu.be/Blf2ZBw8xfg

  2. Cardi B Explores ASMR | W Magazine ~ https://youtu.be/HUMygkRhB88

  3. Aubrey Plaza Explores ASMR with Whispers, Peacock Feathers, and Cornflakes | W Magazine ~ https://youtu.be/MXaBom7KKmU

  4. Noah Centineo Explores ASMR | W Magazine ~ https://youtu.be/GOF5gxyqIDs

  5. Troye Sivan Explores ASMR | W Magazine ~ https://youtu.be/wfhl-ZImSmA

  6. Ashley Graham ASMR: Model Whispers About Whipped Cream and Starbursts | Celebrity ASMR | W Magazine ~ https://youtu.be/QJpDS99lpVg

  7. Supergirl Melissa Benoist Explores ASMR with Wonder Woman Bracelets and Catwoman Claws | W Magazine ~ https://youtu.be/6K2LQJbtR6I

 

So relax sit back and enjoy the satisfying sounds of ASMR!

Hi, I am Kyndell and I am so excited so share my crazy thoughts with all of you beautiful souls. I am an education major at Colby College and I also minor in Women's Gender Sexuality Studies. For most of my life going to college has always been a goal for me but having a an online network of girls between many universities is a dream that I could never have imagined being a part of. On my journey through out life I have made friends of all shapes and sizes that have helped shape me into the considerate young lady I am today.
Hannah is a current junior at Colby but is originally from Weston, Massachusetts. She is a Government Major and Creative Writing Minor and has always had a strong passion for reading and writing. At Colby, she is active on several student committees, is a member of the Colbyettes Acapella Group and is the President of the Her Campus chapter at Colby.