What Is ASMR?

If you’ve browsed YouTube or Instagram in the last several years, you’ve probably run into a multitude of videos labeled “ASMR.” What does this mean exactly?

Whether it’s whispering, tapping, or scratching, something about the sounds or visuals in ASMR clips may make your senses tingle.

Here’s what you need to know about the autonomous sensory meridian response, how the practice came to be, and how you might use this social media phenomenon to your advantage for various health issues.

What does autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) mean?
ASMR stands for “autonomous sensory meridian response.” It describes the sensation you may get from certain stimuli including sounds, visuals, or even close contact with another person (whether in person or online).

People who experience ASMR say it feels like a tingling that starts on the head and moves down the back of the neck and sometimes to the rest of the body.

Other people describe it as a calm feeling that washes over their bodies starting on the scalp and moving downward.

Researcher Dr. Giulia PoerioTrusted Source explains that the following audiovisual stimuli (also known as triggers) may produce ASMR:

-whispering or speaking softly
-tapping, scratching, or crinkling sounds
-slow hand movements
-repetitive tasks
-close personal attention

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The idea of ASMR has been around a long time, though it wasn’t always describes as such. Poerio explainsTrusted Source that the phenomenon may have been described in classic literature by Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, and others.

Healthline content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice. See a licensed medical professional for diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Opinions expressed in this video may not reflect those of Healthline Media.

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[cryptomillennial]

Am I expected to read those captions that fast?

[Freerunner]

Yes I like cheese grater on a rusty metal pipe asmr, very relaxing and helps me when I can't sleep

[cookymonstr]

What is ASMR? It is the somatic manifestation of absolute certainty, that here and now our body and mind are in the best possible state they here and now can be. That is, the moment in time when you do not wish anything to be different than it is. The moment you want to last forever. The state when the body as a whole "thinks" the perfect thought "I am". If there is some blissful mode of existence in heaven or paradise or nirvana, ASMR is the demo version of it.