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Types
Sensations
Triggers
What Does ASMR Do to Your Brain?
Autonomous sensory meridian response(ASMR) is a type of sensory experience involving the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Many refer to it as a meditation-like experience that provides relaxation and a feeling of overall well-being.However, it is a very subjective and personal experience for each individual.
When people have an ASMR response, they usually experience a relaxing, tingling feeling on the neck and scalp, sometimes referred to as “brain tingles.” Benefits include temporary decreases in pain and depression.
This article covers ASMR sensations and triggers and what it does to your brain.
Luis Alvarez / Getty Images
What Is ASMR?
Researchers have only begun to study this phenomenon in recent years. What is known so far is that ASMR creates two general sensation types: physical feelings and psychological feelings.
Example of Unintentional ASMROne well-known example of unintentional ASMR is Bob Ross, the American painter who was televised teaching people how to create nature painting.Although Ross never intended to help viewers relax or cause an intense sensory response to his videos, many people who want to experience ASMR watch his videos.Some of the triggers in Ross’s videos include his deep, calm, and authoritative voice, the personal attention he seems to provide his viewers, and the scraping sounds of his brush.
Example of Unintentional ASMR
One well-known example of unintentional ASMR is Bob Ross, the American painter who was televised teaching people how to create nature painting.Although Ross never intended to help viewers relax or cause an intense sensory response to his videos, many people who want to experience ASMR watch his videos.Some of the triggers in Ross’s videos include his deep, calm, and authoritative voice, the personal attention he seems to provide his viewers, and the scraping sounds of his brush.
One well-known example of unintentional ASMR is Bob Ross, the American painter who was televised teaching people how to create nature painting.Although Ross never intended to help viewers relax or cause an intense sensory response to his videos, many people who want to experience ASMR watch his videos.
Some of the triggers in Ross’s videos include his deep, calm, and authoritative voice, the personal attention he seems to provide his viewers, and the scraping sounds of his brush.
What Does ASMR Feel Like?
One study reported a wide range of feelings from the ASMR experience. The most commonly reported feeling was a “tingling sensation.” This sensation usually starts in the back of the scalp and migrates down the line of the spine.
In some cases, the sensation also extends out to the shoulders, lower back, arms, and legs. Researchers noted that the amount of tingling sensation appeared related to the amount of triggering stimuli used.
The location of the body where the tingling sensations began with ASMR also varied:
Researchers noted that ASMR sensations varied with each session, even for the same participants.
What Triggers ASMR?
Things that trigger ASMR can differ from person to person. However, the euphoric sensations of ASMR usually stem from certain sounds, smells, sights, or other stimuli.
Several known external triggers have the potential to elicit an ASMR response in people. Triggers to ASMR, from most common to least common, include:
Other triggers include the sound of crinkling paper, certain types of music, or even watching someone else focus on a task.
There is little data regarding the cause of ASMR activation in the brain. However, a 2018 study used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the brain activity of people with “prescreened” ASMR abilities. The participants watched ASMR videos and notified researchers of specific moments of tingling and relaxation feelings of ASMR.
Researchers determined that participants showed “significant activation” in brain areas associated with reward and emotional arousal during reported moments of ASMR.
ASMR research shows that ASMR can reduce anxiety, depression, and insomnia. In one study of over 1,000 people, participants with depression and insomnia significantly improved their mood and increased relaxation after watching ASMR videos.
ASMR may also be helpful in relieving symptoms of chronic pain.
Social ConnectionsIt is unknown how many people are capable of experiencing ASMR. However, fans of ASMR appear to be connecting online, and ASMR is gaining in popularity.
Social Connections
It is unknown how many people are capable of experiencing ASMR. However, fans of ASMR appear to be connecting online, and ASMR is gaining in popularity.
Summary
ASMR is a physical and physiological experience involving the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Some people experience feelings of relaxation and calmness when exposed to ASMR. Many people cite the response they get from ASMR is a tingling sensation, which usually starts in the back of the head and travels down the spine. The sensation also extends out to the shoulders, lower back, arms, and legs in some cases.
Some of the most common ASMR external triggers are whispering, personal attention, crisp or crunching sounds, and slow or repetitive movements. Research has shown that people experience significant activation in brain areas associated with reward and emotional arousal during reported moments of ASMR.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Discover ASMR.Bob Ross – One of the accidental pioneers of ASMR.
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Smejka T, Wiggs L.The effects of autonomous sensory meridian response (asmr) videos on arousal and mood in adults with and without depression and insomnia.J Affect Disord. 2022;301:60-67. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.12.015
Eid CM, Hamilton C, Greer JMH.Untangling the tingle: investigating the association between the autonomous sensory meridian response (asmr), neuroticism, and trait & state anxiety.PLOS ONE. 2022;17(2):e0262668. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0262668
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