12 Best ASMR Triggers

ASMR Meaning

ASMR stands for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response”. In simple terms, ASMR refers to a pleasant tingling feeling that a person experiences when he/she hears unique, soft voices, or when they hear certain soothing sounds like scratching and tapping, brushing and whispering. The tingling sensation is euphoric. It usually starts at the back of the head, then travels down through the spine into the limbs relaxing you and giving you a unique feeling of well-being.

12 Best ASMR Triggers - The ASMR

Almost all people can experience it and it is just the matter of finding out your personal ASMR triggers. An ASMR trigger is any stimuli that elicits an Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response in your brain. In this article, we cover the most popular ASMR triggers.

Breakdown of ASMR Sounds

Below is a breakdown of the audio that usually gives the best possible experiences for most people:

Isolated Sounds

A clear sound without any interfering sounds is a big trigger for most individuals. Since most ASMR videos are created using good equipment and in total silence, you get to listen to some exceptional sounds that are usually drowned in nearby noises. A good example is a sound that is created as a result of individuals parting their lips and also moving their tongue from its natural position when they are about to talk.

Slow-Paced Sounds

Other videos sometimes overdo the triggers and heap them together. Similarly to a good speech, a little bit of silence is sometimes needed between the sounds.

Consistent Volume

Nothing wrecks an ASMR experience faster than a high-pitched volume point in the middle of a trigger. A consistent volume provides a better listening experience.

12 Best ASMR Triggers

  1. Whispering
  2. Scratching and Tapping
  3. Blowing
  4. Physical Touch
  5. Personal Attention
  6. Page Turning
  7. Visual ASMR
  8. Hair Play
  9. Role Play
  10. Concentration
  11. Eating
  12. Sticky Fingers

An Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response trigger can be simply defined as: a stimuli or a sound that triggers an ASMR in you.

Best ASMR Triggers - The ASMR

A normal person may have many sounds that can trigger ASMR. However, some triggers create a stronger ASMR experience when compared to others. ASMR triggers can either be audible, physical, or visual. You will encounter these triggers in real life, in movies, and sometimes in the most absurd places. Below is a list of the 12 Best ASMR Triggers:

Whispering

Whispering ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

This is the most popular ASMR sound. Listening to a whispering trigger at the right time is generally the first way that we get to discover ASMR. Sometimes whispering sounds can be binaural. This means that the sounds are usually recorded in different channels which permits you to listen to voices that are spoken from a left side speaker to your left side. This usually creates a much more “real” experience. This AMSR trigger can sometimes be noiseless or unintelligible. This means that you’re not supposed to hear the words clearly so that you can concentrate on the sounds.

Scratching and Tapping

Scratching and Tapping as an ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

Microphone scratching as well as tapping on different surfaces are the well-known uses of this ASMR trigger. Many content creators tap on the objects that they are holding so as to come up with the extra sounds. Sounds from the nails are usually linked with tapping. Most women have long nails that they use to produce tingles. Scratching is among the most powerful ASMR triggers.

Blowing

Blowing ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

Blowing, mostly into someone’s ear, gives them the feeling of the cool air brushing against their skin and also the sound that your mouth produces as you complete this task. Moving from one ear to another helps to convey this trigger to the front for many people.

Physical Touch

Physical Touch ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

A gentle touch on the skin is also an ASMR trigger. However, this can’t be confirmed by video. The greatest way to experiment this is by using a head massaging implement known as the orgasmatron. For most people, it creates tingles that are more intense as compared to any other audio ASMR trigger. It is best used when somebody else uses it to massage you, although you can also do it yourself.

Personal Attention

Personal Attention ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

Personal attention ASMR trigger also creates an extreme moment between yourself and the video maker. Most of us experienced Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response during our early days but we did not know what the feeling was. From the childhood memories of you visiting the dentist as well as being in a class with your teacher guiding you individually, those were the best triggering circumstances. That is what personal attention videos creators are trying to reconstruct. Some other popular personal attention situations are makeup tutorials, makeup roleplays as well as someone playing with your hair or having your ears brushed.
Below is a video on how a makeup tutorial can act as an ASMR trigger by paying you extra personal attention, similar videos include a physical checkup or a dentist visit.

Page Turning

Page Turning ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

Turning pages of a book usually offers a delicate sound as pages flit together. The brushing of a paper, the hardcover backflipping gently, and the softer noise that it brings is very relaxing, especially to people who enjoy reading books and know the sounds quite well.

Below is a dedicated page turning ASMR trigger video. Enjoy! Similar videos for people who find paper turning triggering can include paper and pen, wax sealing.

Visual ASMR

Visual ASMR ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

The visual ASMR trigger often includes hand movements. They aren’t one of the most popular ASMR triggers but it is included in this list because it’s very dissimilar from the other ASMR triggers. Most people are able to find their triggers in this list so if you have tried all the others and they just cannot bring the tingles, maybe visual ASMR will be able to produce them.

Zen Garden is one of the most popular among the visual ASMRs. Many people find it relaxing even if it’s not an ASMR trigger for them.

Hair Play

Hair Play ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

Women have been brushing and caressing other women’s hair for decades. Hair plays are among the absolute much loved aspects of the early days of ASMR. It typically includes soft-spoken voices as well as personal attention. This is familiar to girl readers as well as listeners.

Roleplay

Roleplay ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

Roleplaying can be an extremely unique experience. Sometimes it may include any number of the other triggers pooled together into 1 package for the person listening. Massage therapists, best friends, doctors as well as zombie disaster survivors have been well-known to practice Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response in these specific videos.

Concentration

Concentration ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

Concentrating on a job that you are doing can be the kind of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response experience that you are not expecting. This is the kind of video that you go into only looking to acquire something new and also relax, but eventually, you end up feeling very good with the tingles that you experience.

Eating

Eating ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

Watching somebody eat can greatly disgust some individuals. Nevertheless, the sound of somebody chewing food can sometimes be relaxing to some individuals. Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some ASMRtists can eat elegantly, but oftentimes to make the eating work as an ASMR trigger, ASMRtists need to find the right food with the right texture to create a sensible sound. However, eating ASMR is still one of the most popular triggers.

Sticky Fingers

Sticky Fingers ASMR Trigger - The ASMR

Sticky fingers is very common for individuals who experience Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. The sound of somebody’s fingers spiking to an object, like a balloon or a plastic, can create an exceptional sound that everybody wants to listen to occasionally. It is a very soft tone that it is very hard not to enjoy listening to at times.

Conclusion

Not everyone experiences ASMR, but there are a number of stimulants that can cause ASMR that you can try. The twelve ASMR triggers we’ve shared here are some of the most popular triggers, but certainly not the only triggers.  There is more to discover. What works for you?

Now that you’ve learned about some of the best ASMR triggers, why don’t you learn more about what ASMR is?