For nearly 30 minutes, a young blonde woman whispers into a camera in a flow of constant gentle speech. She waves her hands at the camera, folds clothes and taps her fingernails on a wooden box.
This woman, who posts videos every week to her 1 million YouTube subscribers, goes by the username “Gentle Whispering ASMR.” She is part of a growing group of people who say they experience ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response.
ASMR can be triggered by many different stimuli, including the sound of soft voices, people working quietly or squishing slime.
Wikipedia describes ASMR as “an experience characterized by a tingling sensation on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine.” This feeling appears to be a soft, mellow, type of “therapy” that produces a sort of meditative state for the user.
Many people are probably dumbfounded when they first discover the ASMR community. On the surface, it can feel very personal and flirtatious, making an inexperienced watcher borderline uncomfortable.
On the other hand, those who enjoy ASMR can watch 20- to 40-minute videos regularly, finding the experience quite invigorating.
I discovered this phenomenon about two years ago by accident on YouTube. Initially, I disregarded it as something weird. But I soon started to hear about ASMR on the news as well as from friends who encouraged me to try it.
After venturing through a few more videos, I found that although I didn’t always experience the physical sensations on my body, ASMR did help me relax during times of anxiety and stress.
Many ASMR videos are essentially guided meditations, which have been proven to improve concentration and reduce stress. According to a research paper Dr. Nick Davis of Swansea University in the United Kingdom about 69 percent of people who claimed to have moderate to severe depression reported using ASMR videos to help ease their symptoms.
Additionally, these videos may improve the quality of people’s sleep. In fact, the hints of therapeutic benefits are sufficient enough for the National Sleep Foundation to claim that it may help people overcome insomnia.
Aside from all the purported health benefits of ASMR, it is a free and easily accessible to experience — meaning regular use should not be a problem. It’s not a drug and it won’t harm anyone.
Although ASMR may sound like a magical cure for many ailments, ASMR has been quite a baffling concept for scientists. There is not a lot known about the physiology of ASMR and little evidence supporting its medical effectiveness. But the ever-increasing number of people who swear by it should lead to further scientific inquiry.
As more and more people are becoming aware of ASMR, it’s clear that although ASMR isn’t for everybody, giving this relaxing experience a try is certainly not a bad idea.