ASMR has been one of the hottest topics for online discussion since its inception in 2015. However, it was not until 2017 that there was an increase in people interested in showcasing this community.
When you think of ASMR, what do you think of it? Many think of a young woman on YouTube gently whispering into a camera and promising to deliver a relaxing time. But is it really ASMR?
What is ASMR?
ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) was first coined in 2010 by a woman named Jennifer Allen. It has since grown into something bigger than she could ever imagine.
The Wikipedia description of ASMR is “An autonomous sensory meridian reaction (ASMR) is a pleasurable tingly feeling experienced by some people when they hear specific sounds or see certain visual stimuli. It is characterized by an urge to move one’s head from side to side and/or scratch oneself.”
For some people, ASMR is an auditory phenomenon that occurs when they hear someone whisper or speak softly. It has been shown to help relieve stress and anxiety, and it might also be able to treat depression and pain. There aren’t any studies showing whether it actually works, though.
A group of researchers from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Psychology conducted a study to determine if ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) is a real phenomenon that has positive effects on people experiencing it.
According to an article by ScienceDaily, “Those who experienced ASMR showed significantly greater decreases in their resting heartbeat than did those who didn’t.” Furthermore, they reported feeling significantly more relaxed and connected socially.
A study was conducted where people watched a variety of videos and then completed surveys regarding whether or not they had ever felt tingling sensations in certain parts of their body when viewing these videos. They also answered questions about their general feelings towards ASMR and which types of videos triggered them to feel tingling sensations.
Does ASMR really exist? Or is it just pseudoscience?
While there is no scientific evidence to support the theory that ASMR is merely a psychological response to being alone, there is also little evidence to suggest that it doesn’t exist. In fact, there are plenty of videos out there where the creator claims that they were triggered by watching another person perform a task. Even if the sensation does not stem from actual physical stimulation, there is certainly something happening inside our brains that cause us to feel relaxed and calm.
There appears to be an obvious connection between ASMR and the soothing effect it has on its viewers. However, science hasn’t yet confirmed whether or not there is any scientific basis for this claim.
How did the ASMR trend start?
After reading about what ASMR is and why people enjoy it so much, you may now be wondering how something so strange could take off in the first place!
After Allen coined the term ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), she began spreading the word. She founded an ASMR Facebook group and continually emailed Wikipedia to ensure that they kept the ASMR entry, which Wikipedia constantly denied was appropriate for their site. Fortunately, her persistence paid off when Wikipedia finally added the ASMR entry.
Before there was a name for ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), people had been posting ASMR-like sounds on YouTube; however, finding these types of sounds was difficult because they weren’t named anything specific.
Once ASMR had an official term, YouTube creators who were creating content related to ASMR could use the word “ASMR” to describe their content.
After the term “ASMR” was coined, the trend grew and expanded. News organizations reported on it, and people who weren’t part of the community were made aware of it.
Conclusion:
It has been proven that ASMR videos can be used to relax people. However, there isn’t any hard evidence to prove that they’re effective at helping people sleep better.