ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) videos have been on the rise for a while, but have lately come to the limelight in India. Essentially, these are audio snippets and videos which are available on YouTube and other media-sharing platforms. The recordings relax viewers through soothing sounds and visual cues. “ASMR is a collection of sounds designed to prompt a pleasurable tingling in the neck and scalp. These tend to be everyday sounds without talking, or if there is talking it is in a low whisper. There are videos of creators eating or using everyday objects to make ASMR sounds, ” says Delhi-based psychotherapist Dr Shweta Sharma.
The term was first known to be coined in 2010 by cybersecurity professional Jennifer Allen in the US, who runs the ASMR Group on Facebook. “ASMR counts on viewers having responses to different stimuli. For some people this could be feeling relaxed at the sound of falling rain. It could also be having a reaction to something crunchy. Some people having had that experience then seek it out online in these videos,” says Dr Sharma.
According to the peer-reviewed paper, ‘Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response: a flow-like mental state’ by Emma L Barratt and Nick J Davis, published in the journal PeerJ, 98 percent of the participants watched ASMR videos to relax, 82 percent to help them sleep, 70 percent to deal with stress and 5 percent for sexual stimulation.
“I started watching ASMR before going to sleep, because I had trouble sleeping. From there, I started using the videos to help me focus while at work,” says Pradip (name changed) an avid ASMR user. He swears by YouTuber ASMR Darling’s videos —one of hundreds of thousands of creators now specialising in making ASMR videos on the platform to fullfill a growing demand from audiences. ASMR Darling has around 2.4 million subscribers to her channel on YouTube. Though most triggers are usually aural, there are also visual triggers that range from getting ready by putting on makeup to hand gestures. The efficacy of ASMR has also been tested by global brand such as IKEA, Gucci and Apple, which have gone on to release ASMR-based advertisement campaigns for their brands.
One of the questions that Maria, who runs the Gentle Whispering ASMR channel on YouTube with 1.4 million subscribers, was asked in a Netflix documentary called Follow This was on ASMR’s recently skyrocketing popularity. “I think it’s just with the emergence of more stress. For a lot of people, insomnia is an issue, and sometimes, medication could have a side effect. We are hoping that we can research to prove it actually benefits you on a deeper level than we can even imagine,” she says in the video.
Some of the popular ASMR video themes is listening and watching people eat. The phenomenon is also called muk-bang or meokbang where the host eats food while interacting with their audience. Another popular ASMR sound is hair-brushing routine, where the host brushes his or her hair for a few minutes and the sound is captured through a microphone for the viewers.Research is just beginning to capture the ASMR phenomenon. Stephen Smith, a researcher at the University of Winnipeg, Canada, was quoted in the Netflix documentary saying, “ASMR was probably the first psychological phenomenon that was discovered by internet users rather than scientists.” He led two of the first scientific studies on ASMR.
A study conducted by the Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK, highlights the health effects of the online phenomenon where they observed lowered heart rates in ASMR participants compared to non-ASMR participants. “Even though, there is only preliminary research and the phenomenon may be not taken very seriously, ASMR has the potential to be harnessed to deliver relaxation to people. The videos could prove a valuable counterbalance against rising levels of stress and anxiety, ” points out Dr Sharma.
Indian ASMR artist Ankita Raut, who creates videos on painting, folding sarees and other local sounds, says, “I have had so many people tell me how I have helped them with their depression, anxiety, insomnia, stress and even PTSD. I have had people tell me they don’t need their prescription medication anymore after watching my ASMR videos.”
What is ASMR?
Autonomous Sensory
Meridian Response or ASMR is a tingling sensation on the skin caused by auditory stimuli such as scratching, tapping, crunching, raspy voices and other such soft-pitched sounds. Listening to them is said to cause a soothing and calming effect on the brain.