Have you ever seen one of those people on TikTok who brush hair, whisper, or rub glue all over their microphone?
It may sound a bit weird at first – believe me, when my best friend first showed me an ASMR live, I thought it was bizarre. But then, after the girl on the screen cleansed my face and pinned my hair back, I started to feel it. I was all tingly and relaxed and I found myself sleepier than I was five minutes prior.
ASMR has swept the internet. Not only are ASMR creators getting TikTok famous, but celebrities are joining in and creating their own videos for fans. Even businesses have started putting out ASMR videos to market their products. Restaurants use the satisfying sounds of preparing food to self-promote their dishes. And while it’s an unconventional kind of advertising, people are drawn to it.
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. ASMR is defined as “a feeling of well-being combined with a tingling sensation in the scalp and down the back of the neck, as experienced by some people in response to a specific gentle stimulus, often a particular sound.”
This is where the TikTokers come in. So many have made a name for themselves by perfecting their craft – that craft being nail tapping, hair scratching, spit painting, among other pleasurable sounds. They refer to these different sounds and visuals as “triggers.” Many ASMR creators use the same triggers, though some make their own and attach their name to it.
A prime example of this is with @asmrnoa, who created the trigger “energy rain.” She begins by “plucking the negativity,” which is more or less removing the negative thoughts from your head. She then “snips” them with an oddly satisfying scissor sound. She uses her nails to make a tapping sound as she brings her hands down towards her microphone, mimicking the sound of rain. She uses a cork board or item of some sorts to tap on the mic to increase the rain sound. Lastly, she swirls her fingers over the mic to produce the sound of wind, dropping her hands to the base of the mic and finishing with that same rain tapping sound.
Some other popular ASMR triggers include cork tapping, light show/eye exam, hair play, makeup/skincare, and water globes.
Cork tapping is exactly as it sounds – creators place a cork piece near or on their mic and tap it in a rhythmic way. The cork produces a mellow, satisfying sound that many viewers prefer over other tapping surfaces.
Light show is a favorite of mine. Recently, many have shifted to calling it an eye exam and have added role playing elements to it. Creators use glow sticks or handheld lights to pretend-check your eyes. The ASMRtist will ask you to follow the light and focus on one color while another is moving around your screen. Creators have gotten very creative with it – some even use fake lenses to mimic bad eyesight.
Hair play is a fan favorite. Creators will either brush their own hair or brush a wig sat atop their mic. Some will even use a second brush to make it look as if they’re brushing your hair while they use the other to make the sounds. It’s the most tingly trigger to me.
Makeup and skincare have a similar effect as hair play. Creators use their real products to do your makeup as if you’re sitting right in front of them. They’ll pretend to dollop a serum on your cheeks and then roll over your skin with a jade roller. They’ll ask you to pucker your lips while they hyper focus on the area of the screen where your lips would be. It’s soothing, even if it is just virtual.
My least favorite of the five is water globes. Some people love this one though. Creators use their sparkly, water-filled globe toys to create a “glub glub” sound. They spin them and shake them, and it sounds as if you’re filling a container with water. If you like water sounds, this is the trigger for you.
To expand a bit on the science behind ASMR, Dr. Craig Richard is an expert in the field and a professor at Shenandoah University in Virginia. He says the following on ASMR, “It’s a deeply relaxing feeling often accompanied by light and pleasurable brain tingles. It’s often stimulated during moments of positive, personal attention from a kind or caring person whispering, speaking, acting, and moving in a gentle way.”
Here’s the most fascinating part: ASMR reaches further than just sensory tingles. It makes sense that pretend hair play would be appealing to watch because your brain has a good feeling registered with the physical act. It’s like tricking your brain into thinking your hair is actually being combed through when it’s not. This is a small part of ASMR – a mere piece of the puzzle.
ASMR is all about personal attention. It’s the way a kind-seeming person is virtually nurturing you that produces brain tingles and soft chills.
Dr. Richard explains the phenomenon further, “Someone talks to you gently, looks at you with genuine care, doesn’t make any threatening movements. Then your brain automatically begins to move towards trust, which may involve this release of oxytocin and lighting up certain areas of the brain.”
It is believed that the release of dopamine and oxytocin play a large role in the good feelings associated with ASMR. Although, Dr. Richard has found that only 10-20% of people can really experience ASMR as it is meant to be experienced. There is also a difference in triggers for each person – some may be more sensitive to personal care role playing while others might feel more from tapping on a cork board.
If you’re unsure of your ASMR love language, be sure to check out a few TikTok lives before you fall asleep tonight. I’ll include a list of my favorite ASMRtists below. Check their bios for live schedules – and their profiles for shorter snippets of their ASMR. Many have YouTube channels as well.
I wish you the tingliest, most relaxing TikTok scroll you’ve ever had!
TikTok ASMRtists:
- @asmrnoa
- @vivasiti
- @bellamariafriess
- @livvyloveasmr
- @safespaceasmr
- @ali.asmr.sleep
- @shivermetingles
- @johnniibeanasmr