ASMR, otherwise known as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response is a physical sensation, most commonly occurring in the scalp or neck. If you’re one of the lucky ones that are affected by this, then you would have felt an immense pleasurable feeling around your head.

Currently, there is no scientific evidence which backs up this phenomenon, but with substantial personal accounts of it, there is little argument against its existence. A quick glance down the comment list of an ASMR video will show the amount of people who have watched these videos and do feel something that many describe as “tingles.” A scroll through the ASMR sub on Reddit will link you to many of these videos and many of the posts will be of people experiencing said tingles. But, ASMR isn’t just a vehicle to feel the tingly sensation; it’s actually a viable method to help aid sleep and relaxation, and in some cases, help with anxiety. A lot of people that watch ASMR videos will find a video on their phone, or simply leave their computer on, insert headphones and use them to relax and fall asleep.

ASMR has started to become more popular in the last couple of years, with many Youtube channels dedicated to supplying the tingly feeling around your head or at the base of your neck. These videos, made by both men and woman are becoming more and more popular with a lot of ASMR Content Creators (or “ASMRArtists”) reaching over fifty thousand subscribers. In the case of the creator, “GentleWhispering”, she has over two hundred thousand subscribers and over sixty million views on her videos.

Of course, if you watch one of these videos, it will seem strange at first. Looking at your screen and watching someone play with trading cards or brushing a camera, while whispering or speaking softly will definitely seem a little odd. But judging from the hundreds of thousands that are subscribed to various ASMR content creator, it seems like the majority of people have gotten over it and truly see the reason for these videos creation.

My first experience was when I was linked to a video of a woman straightening her hair and rambling into her microphone. At first, it was extremely strange to watch, but then I felt the sensation that people were describing when I was linked to the video. Since then, I’ve found out what my top trigger is. Tapping and scratching. Some more triggers are listed below:
Ear to ear whispering
Tapping & Scratching
Touching & Brushing Microphone
And many more.

Despite the positive and welcoming nature of the people behind these videos, ASMR does bring with it a somewhat negative aspect, in the case when people feel like they have the right to comment on these videos and insult the person behind the camera. But, for every one person that does insult and ridicule the content creator, they are two people that truly appreciate what these videos and what the people behind them do. To see how ASMR can affect certain people in a truly positive light, check out this video by “whisperslily” who reads out comments from her viewers.

Like I said, ASMR is becoming more and more popular. The Reddit community has over 70,000 people subscribed to the ASMR subreddit. Whilst typing “ASMR” into the Youtube search box will yield over one million videos (many content creators come from varying countries so the different accents could be a trigger for some). ASMR has also been covered by various websites such as BBC, The Independent, Buzzfeed and ABC News.

If you haven’t closed the tab and still have an open mind, then you might want to search Youtube for a video which will include a lot of the triggers. This way, you can watch short snippets of different triggers, and who knows, maybe you’ll find one that gives you the tingly feeling.

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List of featured ASMR Content Creators:
GentleWhispering
TheWaterWhispers
Christen Noel
whisperslily