Have you ever felt a certain tingling, relaxing sensation when someone brushed your arm, stroked your curls, or whispered in your ears? Well, you are not the only one experiencing what has been referred to as ASMR.
ASMR Meaning, What Does ASMR Mean？
First of all, what does ASMR stand for? By definition, ASMR is the acronym of the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response and it is a physical tingling sensation that begins in your scalp and moves down through the spine to the limbs. ASMR tingles can often be triggered by audible stimuli, such as whispering or scratching, though they can also be triggered through visual stimuli and physical touch. More than giving you shivers, ASMR can be soothing, relaxing, pleasurable, even euphoric.
ASMR is also referred to as Attention Induced Head Orgasm (AIHO) or Attention Induced Euphoria (AIE). Brain orgasm is another commonly used word for this sensation. The term ASMR was first coined in February 2010 by Jennifer Allen after she posted to a discussion board about weird sensation feels good. She also created the ASMR Group on Facebook and is actively contributing to the online community.
The Science Behind ASMR – What Causes ASMR?
Science has not explained ASMR clearly. However, it is believed that endorphins, which are responsible for child-parent bonding, are the primary cause of the sensation. The levels of oxytocin, the relationship bonding hormone, increase while expiring ASMR. Researchers have found that “Brain activation during ASMR showed similarities to patterns previously observed in musical frisson as well as affiliative behaviors”.
When a child and parent are close, the infant’s brain releases endorphin neurotransmitter receptors which inhibit pain while causing relaxation. The release of endorphins is stimulated whenever closely-bonded individuals are brought close together.
The stimulation of endorphins sends a signal to the brain that is perceived as safe and trustworthy, thus causing the individual to relax and sometimes fall asleep. Although this theory has not been tested and proved, it highlights key issues about experiencing ASMR which are factual.
To begin with, there has to be some sense of trust that comes with feeling safe around someone for you to experience this unique sensation. This explains why most people get their first ASMR experience in childhood but probably don’t know what it is until you grow up and discover that the feeling has a name.
The bond between mother and child has been identified as the strongest ASMR stimuli, since we all feel safe in our mother’s arms, even as adults.
What Triggers ASMR?
ASMR is an autonomous or spontaneous feeling. It happens without much effort on your part. However, since it brings such pleasure that some people attempt to trigger it using audio, video or visuals.
The key issue to note about ASMR triggers is that no one trigger is universal to everyone. What causes ASMR in one person might not work for you.
Concentrating on a task can also cause a powerful sensation. These tasks can involve watching someone painting or someone folding towels.
There are dozens of ASMR stimulators that have not been documented. In some cases, the individuals don’t even realize that they are experiencing ASMR, thus making it difficult to document the stimuli.
You may need to experiment with a range of stimuli to find the one that best works for you.
Popular Triggers
Here are some of the best-known ASMR triggers:
Whispering
Whispering is known to be one of the most powerful triggers. Whispering creates intense ASMR when earphones are used.
The main focus on this stimulus is the sound rather than the words, and whispering is such a popular trigger that thousands of YouTube videos designed to trigger ASMR use a whispering technique.
Soft Talking
Soft talking voice is another popular trigger, particularly when a female voice is used. Soft talking voice is known to create such a powerful ASMR that causes one to sleep in most cases.
Scratching and Tapping
Scratching and tapping is another common trigger that uses microphone scratching and tapping on the table.
Sometimes, nails can be used, particularly if a female has long beautiful nails. Scratching a surface with the cute nails can cause an intense ASMR.
Physical Touch
Physical touch is one of the most popular triggers. A gentle touch on the hand can cause a powerful ASMR especially if the individuals are romantically involved.
The next time you are around your boyfriend/girlfriend give them a gentle hand touch and watch their reaction.
Personal Attention
Receiving personal attention from someone such as having your hair done, getting a massage, having your make- up done or getting an eye exam.
Hair Play
Hair play causes a powerful sensation especially when soft spoken voices are combined with personal attention.
Personal attention, in this case, refers to activities such as someone playing with your hair, visit to a dentist or a teacher providing guidance.
Page Turning
A page turning is a unique trigger that most people struggle to understand. However, for those who get triggered by it, they understand that it is such a powerful trigger.
What Is ASMR Sex?
At the beginning of this trend gaining mainstream attention, it was often thought a kink in the fetish community.
ASMR is a very personal experience. It’s not about the physical, but the intimacy, the arousal. The auditory and visual stimuli can be more than calming. The euphoric response triggered by these simulations can enhance a sexual experience.
We encourage you to explore different ASMR triggers with or without your partner and find your turn-ons. Incorporating ASMR into your sexual life can be truly magical.
Benefits of ASMR – Why Do You Need To Experience ASMR?
Experiencing ASMR is not just to satisfy curiosity as most people believe. Experiencing this sensational feeling has a number of health benefits that we all should strive to meet.
First, relaxing is the biggest advantage of this feeling. When you are relaxed, a lot of things in your body and your life fall into place.
These benefits include reducing stress level, improved blood flow, improved digestion, improving mood and a key mechanism of weight loss.
Relaxation is also important for meditation (with has numerous health benefits), and this has caused most people to adopt ASMR in their meditation practice.
ASMR and Sleep
ASMR is known to improve sleep since most of the triggers listed above are known to induce sleep. The importance of sleep in your body can not be over-emphasized, particularly in this fast- paced world where everything seems to move twice as fast as it should.
ASMR is especially beneficial to individuals suffering from insomnia as they can watch videos that cause them to relax and fall asleep.
Online Communities
YouTube ASMR Community
What is ASMR video?
As pointed out above, ASMR is a spontaneous feeling. However, the concept has become so popular that it has created a large online community dedicated to stimulating ASMR using a range of stimuli.
Some of the top rated ASMRtist videos worth checking out include:
Maria Viktorovna
AKA ASMR Maria, ASMR queen or Gentle Whispering Maria is probably one of the biggest names in ASMR YouTubers. She has been posting videos before even the term ASMR was coined. Her channel GentleWhispering has over two million subscribers.
Gibi ASMR
With total views of over 1 billion, Gina is absolutely one of the most beloved ASMR performers. She has been creating ASMR content since 2016. Before having her channel, the American ASMRtist was first introduced to ASMR on YouTube during high school. Her over 3 million subscribers love her role-playing anime style. Some of these characters are derived from animations; others are original. One of her most viewed projects is a read-through of When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? the 2020 Grammy Best Album of the Year by American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish. You can find her live streaming creating ASMR videos on Twitch.
Heather Feather ASMR
We wouldn’t let Heather Feather skip our list. Tingle seekers are awed by the sound assortments created by the Nashville-based performer. Heather features fantasy role-playing and ear-to-ear whispering. The only thing is that, she doesn’t post regularly and her last video was uploaded 11 months ago. We hope that she is doing well and are looking forward to experiencing shivers from the whisperer.
ASMR Glow
The personal attention you will receive from Sharon DuBois is like no other. The east coast based artist wants to make sure that her viewers are hundred percent with her at the moment whether she’s a hairstylist or a doctor. She speaks French aussi and her channel features other languages. She has two other YouTube channels – Shaz and Beauty Glow.
Bob Ross and Painting Joy
With his soothing voice, nuggets of wisdom and artistic painting skills, Bob can definitely work for anyone. His videos have received numerous views mainly because they are brief, interesting and truly inspirational.
So sad he is not around anymore to make more (RIP), but the available ones can definitely give you an ASMR experience, even if you have never experienced it.
Custom Namiki Fountain Pen HD
Two main properties in this video can trigger ASMR; scratching of the fountain tip and intricate detailing of the writer’s penmanship. At a glance, it seems like a boring video, but trust me, there is something about it that will give you a strong sensation.
TM Lewis On How To Iron A Shirt
The video sounds obvious, I mean what is interesting about how to iron a shirt, but the accent and forms of speech in this video will definitely trigger ASMR. Lewis’ British accent combined with a gentle voice will not only cause you to ASMR but fall asleep as well.
W Magazine
W Magazine invited Margot Robbie, Gal Gadot, Cardi B, Gigi Hadid, Paris Hilton, and many more celebrities to explore ASMR.
Reddit ASMR Community
Another ASMR community that can’t be overlooked is Reddit.
Here are 2 of our favorite ASMR Subreddits community:
Here’s a list rating the erotic ASMR Reddits and users.
ASMR Trends and Future
Where will ASMR go in the future?
ASMR is still growing and on its strong run. There are a few trends we observe in recent years that suggest the direction of the genre.
- ASMR content and media will be more diverse. ASMRtists are exploring further than ever the layered, assorted elements in the videos.
- More triggers are to be found and combined. The textual triggers may be the next wave.
- ASMRtists are using better recording equipment and endless props during the creation, which, of course, chills the audience out.
- More ASMR videos recorded in a 360 degree VR POV format.
- Visual ASMR: skillful ASMRtists are producing more visual ASMR content using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software.
- Commercialization: Corporations are catching up with the trend and are embedding ASMR elements to their promotion; Record companies are paying ASMRtists for their work.
- The wave rippling crossover to other areas of arts. Music and film producers are incorporating ASMR into the records/scenes.
- Contemporary artists are looking up to ASMR for inspiration for their exhibitions. Here are some great online resources.
Check out these ASMR-themed exhibitions:
WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD
Archer’s Eastern Star Gallery featured a touch museum
Here’s a virtual talk by Dr. Louise R Mayhew on ASMR in art/ Confronting Contemporary Art
PerMagnus Lindborg, a researcher at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong talks about ASMR in Music and Multimedia.
Whether watching ASMRtist YouTube or experiencing immensely in a gallery, try with a wide range of stimuli and find your best triggers to the pleasurable, tingling sensation.
ASMR Meaning (Infographic)
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BONUS – 7 ASMR Explanation Videos
These 7 Videos will give you even more information on what ASMR is! Which one is your favorite?
