Flashback to three weeks ago: I was sprawled out face down on my dorm floor, face half-covered in drool, half covered in easy mac, with my two hallmates, Dan and Nate, looking worriedly over my seemingly lifeless form.
Nope, I wasn’t drunk. I was high: high off of a new trend called ASMR.
No, Mom, if you’re reading this, ASMR isn’t a new kind of drug. Chill.
For those uninitiated, ASMR, is, according to Wikipedia, “a euphoric experience characterized by a static-like or tingling sensation on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine, precipitating relaxation.”
If you’re in the Humanities, that’s STEM people terms for sounds and images that make you feel tingly-crap in your ears, akin to what some people call a “brain orgasm.”
The videos, which have, in recent years, taken the YouTube community by storm, range from tapping to gentle whispering to squishing slime to roleplaying doctor videos to cooking videos.
It’s hard to really characterize or categorize ASMR, because really it’s just anything that makes your brain feel good and relaxed.
While according to some very aggressively angry YouTube comments, not everyone is susceptible to ASMR, for me, ASMR helps reduce my insomnia and anxiety.
(If you’re interested in more information (the science kind), check out this article by The New York Times: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/28/rustle-tingle-relax-the-compelling-world-of-a-s-m-r/?_r=0.)
A few weeks ago, I hit a low point in my college life. I was, like any normal, self-respecting Davidson student, severely lacking in sleep and on the verge of a cataclysmic anxiety attack only comparable to Britney Spear’s 2007 hair-shaving meltdown.
Out of desperation, I started looking up sleep aids and relaxation videos on YouTube because A) it’s free and B) I like to procrastinate my responsibilities by delving into the dark, weird, wide world of the internet. Eventually, I came upon ASMR and its thousands of fans, and well, the rest is history. *See beginning of article*
To those of you who might also like to give ASMR a try, below are some of my favorite videos. Personally, I like the cooking videos the most (because anything food related is relaxing to me).
However, before you begin watching, I recommend wearing earphones because it makes the experience so much better and also it would not be a good look if someone walked in on you listening to a person whispering seductively to you from a computer screen.
1. Peaceful Cuisine
This channel is a good introduction to ASMR, because it’s both relaxing and a little less weird than some of the videos currently out there. The creator is a Japanese cook who makes crazy #aesthetic food (usually vegan) in a crazy calming way. Plus he includes recipes for his beautiful creations, so you may even pick up a cooking tip or two!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC_Kz5DZt5M&index=7&list=PLJj06SbMAVqPv389tjtSWr9RqauGN6eKo
2. Fairy Char ASMR
This channel focuses on beauty, cooking, role playing, and other traditional ASMR categories. In this video, you’ll see a weird microphone that looks like two robot-android-ear-things. This is a special microphone that supposedly mimics the way your ears perceive sound. It’s made by a special company called 3Dio and you’ll see them often in ASMR videos, so try not to get weirded out. You can find out more about them on their website: http://3diosound.com/.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqlYHBikTYM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwHWaRohWyQ
3. Wise Woman Whispers
Though one of the less popular channels on YouTube, Wise Woman Whispers is one of my personal favorite “ASMR-ists.” In the video linked below, you’ll see tapping, paper flipping, and whispering, which are “triggers” (i. e., the things that make you experience that tingly sensation in your ears) for some people. This video literally makes me fall asleep almost immediately so I caution you not to watch it unless you have an hour or two to devote to a solid nap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SofhRdMcRDc
4. WhispersRed ASMR
Something about British accents and carbohydrates is super relaxing to me, which makes this ASMR YouTube video especially great. This ASMR-tist is one of the more famous practitioners and has a range of super relaxing videos. This one, in which she teaches you how to make English toast, is my personal favorite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv4k0pQ4uZM
5. GentleWhispering
This video also hails from one of the more popular ASMR channels. It gives you sort of a quick summary of some popular triggering sounds and can help you figure out what kind of ASMR works best for you. Plus it’s #tinglyaf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY0JWpKsdWQ
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