ASMR has become very popular over the last couple of years. From many YouTube channels dedicated to it, thousands of videos, and ASMR podcasts, it has become an internet sensation. Some might find it unusual, weird, or even creepy and those who experience it can describe it as a nice soothing feeling. But what is ASMR and what causes it?
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian
Response, a tingling sensation which originates in the back of the head and can
go down the spine. It is a response to a stimulus and varies from person to
person, causing a feeling of calmness and relaxation. Some of the triggers that
can activate this response are whispers, scratching, tapping, blowing, personal
attention, hair play, eating, applying makeup, shaving, stirring liquids, hand
movements, and many more. There is not a lot of research done on ASMR since it
became popular a couple of years ago, Dr. Craig Richard from Shenandoah University
is one of the few people that has done research studies on ASMR. On one of his
studies he and his colleagues reported what happened inside the brain of 10
volunteers while watching ASMR videos. When the participants experienced the
ASMR tingling certain areas of their brains were more active such as the medial
prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbes, regions that can also be activated in
mammals interact with each other in a positive way.
Some people believe that one of the reasons why ASMR can give a
feeling of calmness and relaxation is because the triggers are believed to release
Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin, and Serotonin; the four primary chemicals in
the brain that effect happiness. The brain has cells called “mirror cells” that
are activated when watching someone do an action or task and are thought to imitate
the movements that are seen. Mirror cells are connected to the “body map” and
the motor areas of the brain, and it is believed that they are involve in
learning and in empathy. It is believed that when seeing hand movements in ASMR
videos, such as massages or makeup application, mirror neurons are activated making
it seem like you are the one receiving the massage or makeup application and
that is why a person can experience tingles as well.
Hopefully in the future more research can be done in the biological
and chemical level explaining why ASMR affects some individuals only and what
is the science behind it. Now I ask you, have you ever experienced ASMR and if so,
how would you describe your experience?
Posted by Genesis Figueroa (7)
I have never experienced ASMR, as I never actively searched for this Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. In fact, I just thought ASMR was only whispering. However, it involves much more sounds as you mentioned in your post. Have you ever experienced ASMR?
ReplyDeletePosted by Lauren Shone
I used to try ASMR to relieve stress but never found that it had any effect on me, even after trying for around six months. I had friends tell me that it worked for them so I did not want to give up on it but eventually did as I was not receiving the same results they were. I have always wondered if there was any research done to determine why it might work for some and not others. Did you come across anything in your research that suggest any explanation?
ReplyDeletePosted by Brianna Luciani
I could not find a specific reason why it works on some and not on other as the topic is a little bit new to the science field and not a lot of research has been done. One of the articles I read talked briefly about some believe it can be similar to or even be a form of synesthesia (a condition in which people can hear colors, "taste" shapes, and see numbers in colors) because they believe that like with synesthesia, ASMR might have a slightly atypical wiring in the brain that leads to different sensory associations. Another reason why some might not enjoy and they hate it instead can be misophonia, where the individual gets irritated when they hear trigger sounds like the ones used during ASMR.
DeletePosted by Genesis Figueroa
Interestingly enough I have noticed that the effects of ASMR differ from person to person. For example, my girlfriend listens to ASMR videos on Youtube every night as they relax her and allow her to fall into a deep sleep relatively quickly. However, for me, ASMR videos only evoke feelings of anger and discomfort. The soft sounds that accompany ASMR only put me on edge and never help me relax. Some studies have found that agitation caused by ASMR can be attributed to misophonia or the hatred of sound. Misophonia can elicit a “fight or flight” in people with this condition when they hear certain auditory triggers. As of now the root cause of misophonia is not well understood and can be attributed to many factors such as genetics or mental health issues. In the near future, I hope more studies will be conducted around this subject as it would be interesting to see the exact reasoning behind why ASMR evokes contrasting responses in different people.
ReplyDeletePosted by James Levangie
Yes, some of the articles I read talked about how they could be related and that Misophonia can be one of the reasons why some people feel stress or anger while watching ASMR videos. I as well hope that more studies can be done and we learn more about what is really happening during ASMR and do a comparison between people that enjoy it and those who don't.
Deleteposted by Genesis Figueroa
After having some of my friends say how calmed it made them, i tried watching a few videos but i did not experienced anything. i did not know that ASMR was a actual response from the brain, i thought people just liked how the videos sound. it is interesting to know what actually happens when these people are listening to these videos. I wonder why other people don not experience the release Endorphins, Dopamine, and the other chemicals.
ReplyDeletePosted by Pam Jimenez
I found this post very interesting, and was drawn to the topic based on the recent influx of ASMR videos on the internet. I have a friend who really enjoys watching those types of videos before bed, although I myself am not a fan. It is interesting to learn that these videos are able to exert an effect on the nucleus accumbens by stimulating the release of serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. This would explain why some people routinely watch these types of videos since the nucleus accumbes plays a critical role in the regulation of the reward/pleasure circuit in the brain. I wonder what other biological mechanisms could underlay our affinity for these types of videos.
ReplyDeletePosted by Kayla Rosiello
Currently there is a lot of chatter around the internet about if ASMR videos are a form of sexual exploitation. Especially for young ASMR content creators, they have had their youtube pages disabled for "inappropriate content". I had a friend who couldn't fall asleep at night without listening to ASMR and I thought it was really strange at first because she legit had to fall asleep to a little girl eating salmon for dinner. But I'm glad that there's scientific evidence as to why people enjoy it and find it soothing that is actually genuine and not sexual. Nice post!
ReplyDeletePosted by Lauren Mason
Yes, a lot of people when they hear "ASMR videos" they think that it is something sexual, and one of the reasons can be because some people refer to the sensation as a "brain orgasm" but in reality it is not sexual at all. I think I know about the little girl you talked about, and personally I do not like her videos at all because I cannot stand the sound of people chewing next to me, it stresses me more than it relaxes me. But that is the good thing about ASMR, it has so many triggers that if one is not your cup of tea you can find a different one that can give you that relaxation.
DeletePosted by Genesis Figueroa