Have you ever had someone play with your hair and right away you feel intensely relaxed? Or has someone ever ran their fingers down your hand and you were left with a pleasant tickling sensation in your head? If these things have happened to you, you may have been experiencing the sensation known as ASMR. ASMR, or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, has been described as a tingling sensation that starts at the base of the scalp and that radiates down the spine and sometimes into your limbs. These sensations are brought on by triggers that when faced correctly can contribute to an extremely relaxing experience.
Courtesy: Sanuela
ASMR can be triggered by crisp sounds like tapping or scratching, whispering, personal attention, water sounds and a multitude of other visual or auditory stimuli. Most of the popular ASMR artists are women (probably due to the fact that women have a more relaxing voice to listen to) and typically have accented speech. ASMR has been of interest to a lot of people in the media lately and it’s because the AMSR community, which consists of YouTube videos that seek to trigger ASMR, is growing rapidly. The most popular ASMR video currently has over 13 million views and counting and it’s by the most popular ASMR artist, GentleWhispering, who has a growing channel with over 500,000 subscribers.
Courtesy: YouTube
One thing that is frustrating about this phenomenon is that there is still no scientific explanation for the feeling. There has only been one study of ASMR that has been published and it basically surveyed participants and asked about their experience. What we learned about ASMR is that the majority of people do not find it to be a sexual feeling and that there might be a connection to synesthesia and “flow states.” A few years ago, a student at Dartmouth conducted a study involving an fMRI, and the findings have still not been released because of the long publishing process.
Courtesy: PeerJ
Regardless of the lack of a scientific description, ASMR seems to be an amazing phenomenon that could possibly help treat insomnia, anxiety, depression, PTSD and a range of other sleep and mental issues that people face. There are mass amounts of anecdotal evidence that ASMR helps mental illness and insomnia. Critics of ASMR mostly judge it as being “creepy” because the videos online are strangely intimate. However, if someone wishes to experience ASMR, I would recommend watching a video with an open mind, in a quiet space and listen with some headphones. Many of these videos role-play a spa experience or a doctor’s appointment, and are very enjoyable, some might say euphoric, to experience.
I personally find ASMR to be extremely relaxing and akin to something like meditation. I will often listen to videos when I am doing work or trying to sleep so I can stay in a relaxed state of mind. With exams coming up, ASMR could be a great outlet to focus and de-stress. I will certainly be studying while I listen to ASMR videos, and you should try it too!