ASMR

[dj_ultima_the_great]

Just wondering if anybody else experienced this phenomena. I didn't know it had a name until recently, and it doesn't have much science behind it. I thought it was something everybody felt, but apparently it's not.

tl;dr - ear porn. You may or may not experience it. Watch the videos at the bottom to find out.

Basically, ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) is feeling a tingling or shivering sensation through the head and sometimes down the shoulders (or farther) which is typically very relaxing and pleasurable. You might have experienced this through physical stimulation, like when someone played with your hair, or by listening to certain sounds, like white noise, whispering, or tapping/scratching. Watching someone do a task carefully, such as writing, reading, or touching things gently can also trigger the sensation.

For me, it happened when I got an interest in origami. I started watching video tutorials in order to figure out how to fold various models, and I realized that the videos almost put me to sleep - not because they were boring, but because the careful act of folding and the sound of the crinkling paper was so relaxing. Then, I discovered speedcubing. In the videos without background music, where it was just the person speed solving a Rubik's Cube silently, the sound of the sides turning would trigger the sensation. Same story with massage videos. The videos were just as relaxing as the content within them.

I stumbled upon ASMR finally some time after I became interested in holophonic recordings (three-dimensional sound). The sounds in those videos and audio tracks set the sensations ablaze, and now it has sort of become my go-to addiction for relaxing my brain at night. Here are some videos with common triggers that might trigger ASMR for you:

Holophonic Sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVn4c0woig0
Whispering: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqnhjVS7Fp0
Tapping/Scratching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHPmeembWlA
Careful Actions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epCwK06sQqU

A few general notes. One, whispering does nothing for me, so I just picked a random recent video from a user of some notoriety within the community. Two, just because these videos do not affect you, does not mean that you do not have ASMR. You may simply not react to that particular stimulation. Some people only react to physical touch, whereas others need sound, or visuals. For people who don't experience ASMR, these videos may seem very pointless and random, but rest assured, they are trying to achieve a purpose, and I hope I have helped explain another one of those everyday mysteries to some folks.

[meleechampion]

Chalk one for not feeling it. Interesting though.

[aesling]

Only the tapping/scratching one really did anything for me. I think you made me too self aware, though.

[BasharOfTheAges]

Only the tapping/scratching one really did anything for me. I think you made me too self aware, though.

You are now breathing manually.