Is ASMR Ridiculous?

What is ASMR?

ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response and it is the tingling sensation that a listener would feel in the back of their head or spine. It also includes the serene state it puts someone into, to the point of wanting to sleep. The term was first made in 2010 by Jennifer Allen in a facebook group, which quickly spread and became popular by people experiencing it. On youtube, there are many channels that claim to be the first ASMR content creator, such as ‘The First ASMR Video (Found Footage)’ by Ephemeral Rift or ‘Whisper 1 - Hello!’ by WhisperingLife ASMR. Regardless of who the original may be, ASMR is currently a prominent category on social media platforms.

So what does ASMR do exactly?

According to PubMed Central, ASMR has many benefits. Its main purpose is to provide relaxation to listeners and since relaxation is commonly induced, most people experience a positive increase in their mood, stress reduction, as well as improvement in sleep quality. However, these are not all the benefits that had been stated, it has been reported that listeners suffering from chronic pain experience a significant decrease in their discomfort for several hours. Other than these effects, research has also shown that it may calm people who suffer from autism along with helping people with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). This is made possible due to studies showing that ASMR may improve concentration overall.

However, according to that same study(PubMed Central), there are also a few drawbacks to ASMR; some people may experience an increase in stress or in cases where people have misophonia (a disorder where some sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses) or phonophobia (the fear of sounds), ASMR may even be more harmful than helpful.

The Disturbing Aspect of ASMR

Although ASMR is well-liked overall, excluding some people’s dissatisfaction or dislike of general ASMR, there are some unusual types of ASMR, perhaps even borderline creepy. A well known example of this is “ear-licking ASMR” which had been done by well-known streamers on Twitch, going by the name of Amouranth and IndieFoxx. Other examples include ‘Kidnapping ASMR’ by Connor Lennox ASMR and ‘Irish Boyfriend ASMR’ by Gaelforce Audios. And so, this raises the question, at what point will ASMR become too much? If not now, when? And when it does, how far will it have gone?

ASMR as a whole is mostly innocent, even often being beneficial. Does this mean that most people should listen to it regularly? Not necessarily, but it would be recommended to try at least once, as it could have some unexpected benefits. Just remember that each person has a different preference to what could be called as their ideal ASMR, so if you would like to become involved in such a thing, it may take some time to find your perfect distraction.