ASMR anyone?

[rsvman]

Just curious.

For the uninitiated, ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, and refers to a pleasant tingling sensation that usually is experienced on the head or back of the neck in response to certain visual, tactile, and especially audio stimuli.

It turns out that apparently a fair number of people experience this reaction in real life, most commonly when getting their hair cut or when somebody whispers in their ear. Some people remember first getting it in grade school when the school nurse would check their head for nits during a head lice outbreak.

To be honest, I never thought I experienced it in real life, beyond the obvious stuff like when people lightly scratch the back of the neck or, when we were kids, where we used to do that thing in which we pretend like we are cracking an egg on top of each other's scalp. I didn't know it had a name and I didn't think much about it. I do remember that certain visuals would be pleasant to me, although I don't remember specifically the tingling or thinking of them as ASMR. There was a commercial on the tv for a local bank that had a short segment that showed somebody riding a surfboard out to catch some waves. It was shot from a GoPro on a neighboring surfboard. I liked the way watching that made me feel, enough so that when I came across it on a DVR'd show I would run it back and watch it a second time.

Anyway, I do traditional wetshaving (straight razors, double edge safety razors, etc.) so I was searching YouTube for instructional videos one time. I came across a shave video that had "ASMR Salon" in the title. I thought that was just the name of the salon, but once I started the video it was clear that something was definitely amiss. It was just weird. I then searched the Wiki for ASMR and learned about it.

After that I watched a few videos. I never tingled, but I found some of them quite relaxing, so I kept watching them now and then. Eventually, although I didn't tingle DURING the videos, I would notice I got that tingling sensation right AFTER I finished watching the videos, which is weird. I'm still not sure I understand that.

Now I sometimes tingle during videos and sometimes not. I listen to them when I'm stressed out and just want to relax. I've found some favorites. I like the people with really good sound quality. The best for that, in my opinion, are Deep Ocean of Sounds and ASMR Surge. I like some of the well known people, especially Gentle Whispering.

I know some of you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, and others probably do and think it's unimaginably weird. Maybe there are others out there who, like me, utilize these videos for specific purposes and enjoy them.

If you have never tried and don't know what I'm talking about, I'd recommend going to Deep Ocean of Sounds and checking out two of his videos. One has the 23 most common triggers, the other has "uncommon triggers." Give them a listen. Yeah, it's strange. Whatever. It will either work or it won't. Maybe you'll find them relaxing, and maybe they can help you when/if you are stressed out or just want to unwind after a hectic day.

Anybody else around here experience ASMR? If so, did/do you notice it in real life, or only when watching/listening to a video?

[killerleft]

Just curious.

For the uninitiated, ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, and refers to a pleasant tingling sensation that usually is experienced on the head or back of the neck in response to certain visual, tactile, and especially audio stimuli.

It turns out that apparently a fair number of people experience this reaction in real life, most commonly when getting their hair cut or when somebody whispers in their ear. Some people remember first getting it in grade school when the school nurse would check their head for nits during a head lice outbreak.

To be honest, I never thought I experienced it in real life, beyond the obvious stuff like when people lightly scratch the back of the neck or, when we were kids, where we used to do that thing in which we pretend like we are cracking an egg on top of each other's scalp. I didn't know it had a name and I didn't think much about it. I do remember that certain visuals would be pleasant to me, although I don't remember specifically the tingling or thinking of them as ASMR. There was a commercial on the tv for a local bank that had a short segment that showed somebody riding a surfboard out to catch some waves. It was shot from a GoPro on a neighboring surfboard. I liked the way watching that made me feel, enough so that when I came across it on a DVR'd show I would run it back and watch it a second time.

Anyway, I do traditional wetshaving (straight razors, double edge safety razors, etc.) so I was searching YouTube for instructional videos one time. I came across a shave video that had "ASMR Salon" in the title. I thought that was just the name of the salon, but once I started the video it was clear that something was definitely amiss. It was just weird. I then searched the Wiki for ASMR and learned about it.

After that I watched a few videos. I never tingled, but I found some of them quite relaxing, so I kept watching them now and then. Eventually, although I didn't tingle DURING the videos, I would notice I got that tingling sensation right AFTER I finished watching the videos, which is weird. I'm still not sure I understand that.

Now I sometimes tingle during videos and sometimes not. I listen to them when I'm stressed out and just want to relax. I've found some favorites. I like the people with really good sound quality. The best for that, in my opinion, are Deep Ocean of Sounds and ASMR Surge. I like some of the well known people, especially Gentle Whispering.

I know some of you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, and others probably do and think it's unimaginably weird. Maybe there are others out there who, like me, utilize these videos for specific purposes and enjoy them.

If you have never tried and don't know what I'm talking about, I'd recommend going to Deep Ocean of Sounds and checking out two of his videos. One has the 23 most common triggers, the other has "uncommon triggers." Give them a listen. Yeah, it's strange. Whatever. It will either work or it won't. Maybe you'll find them relaxing, and maybe they can help you when/if you are stressed out or just want to unwind after a hectic day.

Anybody else around here experience ASMR? If so, did/do you notice it in real life, or only when watching/listening to a video?

I wasn't sure what you were talking about until you mentioned the 'cracked egg' thing, lol. I just thought it was weird at the time. But I could see where the feeling could be construed as pleasant. I'll check out DOofS and see what I think.

[PSurprise]

All I know is when I hear any sort of cellophane crinkle, the hairs all over my body stand up and I get goose bumps. Every. single. time. I can even just *think* of the sound of crinkling cellophane and I get goose bumps. I am strange.

[rsvman]

All I know is when I hear any sort of cellophane crinkle, the hairs all over my body stand up and I get goose bumps. Every. single. time. I can even just *think* of the sound of crinkling cellophane and I get goose bumps. I am strange.

This is almost certainly ASMR. There are lots of crinkle sounds videos.

[fuse]

Emery boards (I think that is what they are called).

I just can’t be around anyone filing their nails. <shudder>

[nmduke2001]

I read about ASMR recently because I have a hard time sleeping and many people use it for sleep and relaxation. I watched a few videos and whispering is definitely a trigger for me. There is a woman on youtube who just whispers for like 20 minutes. My wife couldn't listen for a single minute. It was stressing her out. It was the exact opposite for me. I couldn't stop laughing. A very strange sensation, indeed.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

All I know is when I hear any sort of cellophane crinkle, the hairs all over my body stand up and I get goose bumps. Every. single. time. I can even just *think* of the sound of crinkling cellophane and I get goose bumps. I am strange.

How are you with fingernails on the chalk board? Squeaking of styrofoam?

[PSurprise]

How are you with fingernails on the chalk board? Squeaking of styrofoam?

Styrofoam is very similar, though have to hear it get that tingling feeling. Fingernails on a chalkboard is just awful, but I don't get the same goose bumps/prickly hairs

[JNort]

Whispering gets me everytime and near instantly. I can also just vibrate my ears slightly and that will do it. Many of the ones I see listed as common are like top 10 worst sounds to hear for me though. I hate the brushing noises, chewing, finger tapping, and well basically all of them.

[rsvman]

Whispering gets me everytime and near instantly. I can also just vibrate my ears slightly and that will do it. Many of the ones I see listed as common are like top 10 worst sounds to hear for me though. I hate the brushing noises, chewing, finger tapping, and well basically all of them.

There's a word for disliking those sounds, too. It's "misophonia." Interesting that you have ASMR and misophonia at the same time. I love the brushing noises and I like the tapping. There are some sounds that others enjoy that I don't care for, but I like most of them.

[Rich]

If ASMR is a thing, and it apparently is, then Bob Ross must be considered its king!

[Reilly]

... I would notice I got that tingling sensation right AFTER I finished watching the videos ...

Like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwBnW2pJBOI

[JNort]

There's a word for disliking those sounds, too. It's "misophonia." Interesting that you have ASMR and misophonia at the same time. I love the brushing noises and I like the tapping. There are some sounds that others enjoy that I don't care for, but I like most of them.
I wonder if any is genetic? Our family on my mom's side all hates tapping and the sound of fingernails clicking in general.

[rsvman]

If ASMR is a thing, and it apparently is, then Bob Ross must be considered its king!

Yes. By many he is considered king, or at least an important pioneer. A lot of people apparently discovered they experienced ASMR by watching his videos.

[rsvman]

Like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwBnW2pJBOI

No. The pleasure I get from watching that video goes well beyond the minor pleasure of ASMR tingling, and it lasts a lot longer, too. ;-)

[rsvman]

I wonder if any is genetic? Our family on my mom's side all hates tapping and the sound of fingernails clicking in general.

It may be, and ASMR may be, as well, but I don't think anybody really knows one way or the other just yet.

[Ggallagher]

It may be, and ASMR may be, as well, but I don't think anybody really knows one way or the other just yet.

Looks like there might be a genetic link. I've been browsing around on the www.snpedia.com site for a few weeks just to learn some new stuff. I just did a search on "misophonia" and this page popped up
https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs2937573
which indicates that a "G,G" allele combination on SNP rs2937573 carries a 20% increased sensitivity to the sound of chewing. But I have no idea how sound that finding is.

But I did discover in my digging around there that the total repulsion I felt about Brussel sprouts when I was young actually is genetically based. So I know for a fact that some of their information is good :)

[Billy Dat]

My son just asked for one of these for his birthday, it is basically an ASRM head massage tool

https://www.google.com/search?q=asmr+head+massage&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS753US753&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_2NC9woHdAhXNx1kKHXOqBZQQ_AUICygC&biw=1536&bih=760#spd=5474125823152899343

It definitely does what you describe in your original post, and I have stumbled upon the ASRMers on YouTube and find the subculture quite interesting. There is also the tangential offshoot of "satisfying" videos - check those out on YouTube...I'm not even really sure how to describe them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32mUJJnoS-U

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Dude. Those are weird videos. Mrs. Mtn Devil and I watched parts of a dozen or so. Part of my being freaked out is just my unfamiliarity with Youtube videos I guess. But that's weird stuff.

[rsvman]

Dude. Those are weird videos. Mrs. Mtn Devil and I watched parts of a dozen or so. Part of my being freaked out is just my unfamiliarity with Youtube videos I guess. But that's weird stuff.

I warned you they were weird. The level of weirdness varies. Some are way stranger than others.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

This American Life did a story about this a few years ago, and I've been tuned into this community ever since, long enough that my favorite video maker at the time hasn't posted anything in like 3 years, and there's rumors that she's dead (completely unfounded rumors...)

I definitely experienced ASMR as a kid. I know what the tingles feel like, so I knew what the author of NPR story was talking about and I was naturally curious. But I don't get the tingles any more. I use these videos when I lay down to take a nap, though, because they're relaxing.

I will occasionally watch a few minutes of a GentleWhispering video or check the Reddit community just to see what's going there, but at this point I almost exclusively go to randombobross.com and let Bob Ross lull me to sleep. He is the king because he didn't have to go out of his way to be relaxing. He was just trying to make painting shows. Relaxing was just who he was at his core.

My theory about ASMR is that it's strongly linked to introverted personality types and probably helps soothe your amygdala. But I also don't really know what I'm talking about.

[rsvman]

You must be referring to VeniVediVulpes. I remember hearing a bunch of rumors.
She had a really gentle manner about her, but I also kind of felt like there was a deep sadness in her. I could be imagining things, though.