Whispering, scratching, writing, tapping and drinking: these are “triggers” for autonomous sensory meridian response, better known as ASMR.
But what is ASMR? In its essence, ASMR is the term used to describe the body’s response to certain stimuli, either audio, visual or a combination of both. The University of Nebraska Medicine describes this bodily response as “a tingling, static-like or goosebumps sensation.” The sensations spread across the entire body from head to toe.
ASMR has had a meteoric rise over the past decade. What started as a niche community with a small presence on YouTube has exploded in popularity. ASMR artist Afterglow ASMR, who has over 100k followers on YouTube, became enthralled with an ASMR story over five years ago which led to her start in the genre.
“I got really invested in a vampire roleplay series by a channel called Redacted Audio. I was obsessed,” they said.
That storytelling aspect is now where they spend their time creating. They focus on creating engrossing stories to help their listeners relax and get lost in a detailed narrative.
“I like writing little love stories with fun dialogue and ambient sounds. My goal is to make the listener feel like they’re immersed in a mini rom-com,” they said.
The reported benefits of ASMR are abundant.Though research is still few and far between, a study by University of Sheffield in 2018 found that “results are consistent with the idea that ASMR videos regulate emotion and may have therapeutic benefit for those that experience ASMR by, for example, reducing heart rate and promoting feelings of positive affect and interpersonal connection.”
UO sociology graduate Derek Evans started using ASMR in his sophomore year of college, 2020. For Evans, using ASMR was twofold: “background noise to fall asleep to,” and “something to reduce the anxiety,” Evans said. Evans’ use of ASMR videos is a common one for many.
ASMR is a tool many people use to help relieve the stress that builds up in everyday life. One population that experiences high levels of daily stress is college students.
Madison Jones, a UO public relations graduate of 2023, has utilized ASMR as a means of stress management throughout her time in college.
“I love watching ASMR food videos and slime/soap cutting videos. It helps me relax after a long day and takes my mind off responsibilities,” Jones said. Just as yoga or exercise is an outlet for some, Jones uses ASMR in a similar way. “Over the last few years, I’ve implemented ASMR videos as a crucial part of my nighttime routine,” Jones said.
Boston University School of Public Health completed an eight-year study examining mental health trends in young adults. They found that from 2013 to 2021 there was a nearly 50% increase in college students who met the criteria for one or more mental health issues. The study also highlighted the urgent need to address the mental health inequalities college students face.
Third-year UO environmental studies student Madison Brown started using ASMR around the age of 12. “One of my good middle school friends put me on to slime poking videos,” Brown said. She finds that they are a “good way to make my brain shut off, and almost meditate in a way,” Brown said. Because of its calming state, Brown mostly pops it on at night before bed. It’s her way of winding down after a long, stressful day, especially in college.
Popular ASMR creator Gibi ASMR has a nearly hour-long video on their YouTube channel dedicated to slime and slime noises, which has 1.9 million views to date. ASMRMagic, another YouTube creator, has an over three-hour-long tapping video with 89 million views. TikTok, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, all have ASMR videos with views in the tens of millions.
From a tiny corner of the internet to an ever-prominent section, ASMR has become a culture of its own as well as a tool millions of people use to alleviate the strain of life and unwind at the end of a long day.
