ASMR: how the technique went viral on the internet

A lot of people must have seen on YouTube some videos of people whispering, making some noises in the microphone or just chewing. Usually the acronym ASMR appears associated with this material, which promises a pleasant sensation in the body generated by an external stimulus that, in the case of ASMR videos, can be audible or visual.

These videos have existed for many years on the streaming platform, but during the pandemic they ended up gaining prominence, with an increasing number of people looking to the ASMR “techniques” for a way to relax, relieve anxiety, have pleasant feelings or just be able to sleep one little.

ASMR is an acronym in English for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, which in free translation means “autonomous sensory meridional response”. However, this translation brings even more doubts than clarifications. So, let’s try to gradually understand what ASMR is.

Understanding ASMR

The phenomenon is sometimes popularly called “orgasm in the head” or “tingling of the brain” because those who have experienced it usually report a sensation of numbness in the back of the head or neck, which occurred right after the sensory stimulus.

In some cases, sound stimuli, such as whispers, laughter and the noise of a vacuum cleaner, are accompanied by some visual “pleasures”, such as popping bubble wrap, chewing on delicious food, or cutting objects. It is estimated that there are now more than 11 million videos with the acronym ASMR on YouTube.

Interviewed by the Brain and Health website, neurologist Alvaro Sánchez Ferro, of the Spanish Society of Neurology, says that ASMR does not have a solid scientific basis, with about a little more than a dozen studies published on the subject.

For Sánchez, most of the research cannot be validated, since most of the tests were done with people already predisposed to feel the phenomenon. Furthermore, in none of the known studies has it been demonstrated what happens in the brain when watching these videos or why some people feel the tingling and others do not.

Most watched ASMR content and videos

In one of the surveys, carried out by neuroscientists at Swansea University, in the United Kingdom, several triggers were identified responsible for arousing feelings of pleasure and relaxation in those who watch the videos. The researchers identified the stimuli preferred by people and made a ranking. See below:

Whispers (75%)
Personal attention (69%)
Clear sounds, like hitting your nails on objects, scratching and others (64%)
Slow sounds (53%)
Repetitive sounds (36%)
Smile (13%)
Airplane noise (3%)
Vacuum cleaner noise (2%)
Laughter (2%)

Another ASMR technique that also went viral on YouTube is the reproduction of sounds that simulate everyday situations that spontaneously cause a relaxing effect on the viewer. They are called roleplays.