ASMR - autonomous sensory meridian response - is a tingling sensation that usually begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. A pleasant form of paresthesia, it has been compared with auditory-tactile synesthesia and may overlap with frisson. So many terms...
Paresthesia is a medical term for an abnormal sensation, often described as tingling, numbness, or a feeling of pins and needles in the skin. It can be a temporary sensation, like when your foot "falls asleep," or it can be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition.
Auditory-tactile synesthesia is a sensory phenomenon where sounds trigger tactile sensations. Individuals with this type of synesthesia may experience physical sensations like tingling, pressure, or warmth in response to certain sounds, music, or voices.
And that overlap with frisson? That is known as aesthetic chills, which is a psychophysiological response to rewarding stimuli, often inducing a pleasurable or positively-valenced affective state, and can include transient paresthesia, piloerection (goosebumps), and mydriasis (pupil dilation). It's essentially a physical manifestation of emotional intensity, like a shiver or thrill.
When I first read about ASMR, I didn't take it seriously at all. It seemed like some social-media trend or scam. Research on ASMR is ongoing, and studies have explored its effects on mood, pain relief, and other physiological responses.
Characterized by a tingling sensation in response to auditory or visual stimuli, ASMR is not just a social media sensation but a scientific phenomenon with real benefits for sleep and relaxation.
ASMR is a subjective experience of "low-grade euphoria" characterized by "a combination of positive feelings and a distinct static-like tingling sensation on the skin". It is most commonly triggered by specific auditory stimuli, and less commonly by intentional attention control.
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response has become a popular and effective tool for relaxation and sleep enhancement. Various stimuli can trigger ASMR, including soft whispering, tapping, crinkling sounds, hand movements, and even certain visual patterns.
It can be experienced in real-life situations, such as during a haircut, while watching a movie, or through simulated ASMR videos and podcasts.
While ASMR is a real phenomenon, not everyone experiences it in the same way, and some people may not experience it at all.
If you review a list of stimuli that can trigger ASMR, as reported by those who experience it, they may seem like things that are incredibly commonplace and could never stimulate anything pleasurable. A list of possible stimuli includes the following:
- Listening to a softly spoken or whispering voice
- Listening to a person blow or exhale into a microphone
- Listening to mouth sounds, such as quiet clicking of the tongue or tisking
- Listening to tapping, typically with one's nails onto hard surfaces
- Listening to buttons being pressed, mostly those of computer keyboards or video game controllers
- Listening to quiet, repetitive sounds resulting from someone engaging in a mundane task, such as turning the pages of a book
- Watching somebody attentively execute a mundane task, such as preparing food
- Receiving personal attention, such as having one's makeup applied, hair styled, or a medical exam performed.
- Listening to the sound of rainfall
- Listening to "crinkly" items such as paper, clothes, and substances such as Styrofoam