ASMR: The videos which claim to make their viewers 'tingle'

[T_i_B]

Wasn't quite sure where to post this...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30412358

ASMR videos - which claim to induce a tingling feeling in the viewer - have quietly become an internet phenomenon.

When I was a child I sometimes experienced a pleasant physical sensation in my scalp when I was especially intrigued or fascinated by something, or when being touched or stroked in certain ways.

The sensation continued into adulthood, but when I tried to explain what I was feeling to other people I was met with baffled looks and a quick change of subject.

Recently I discovered that other people have similar experiences, and that the sensation has a name, ASMR, and tens of thousands of videos dedicated to it.

[Bosonic]

1. Never heard of this before

But from your link:

The doyenne of video-makers is arguably a blonde woman with an eastern European accent who calls herself Maria GentleWhispering.

Her "Oh such a good 3D-sound ASMR video", which lasts 16 minutes and features several different sound effects designed to trigger the response, is the most popular I've been able to find with a staggering 7.6 million views in a little over two years, despite its pretty dreadful sound quality.

Is it ASMR, or is it a breathy blonde with significantly dilated pupils which has attracted 7.6 million onto the rocks?

[chrisa]

2. It's mostly the second one. I like lesser known YouTubers like EphemeralRift and MassageASMR.

I like watching massage videos and relaxation videos because they help me relax and sleep. I could see how someone who isn't into this sort of thing would find the whole thing totally bizarre, and I don't blame them.

I don't like the high viewcount videos with pretty blonde women because they don't work for me, or they're made to attract pervs more than to be relaxing. I'm heterosexual, but most of the YouTubers I watch for relaxation are men. It's not sexual at all or anything like that for me any more than getting a massage from a massage therapist would be.

It totally works for me too. The best way I can describe it is a weird, pleasurable feeling at the back of your head / down your neck, kind of like someone's giving you a massage. Sometimes I can feel phantom hands if the video is a simulated head massage, or if the YouTuber is massaging someone else. I never knew what ASMR was until it became trendy. I used to watch massage videos (especially Indian barbers) for that weird feeling and thought I was a total weirdo. Now I'm just a weirdo in a community of other weirdos.

Kind of hard to explain to someone who hasn't felt it before, but it relieves my anxiety and puts me to sleep.

My favorites are MassageASMR, HeatherFeather, and EphemeralRift.

[T_i_B]

5. Actually....

....the "pretty blonde" video's don't bother me. I don't find them a sexual turn on, but I can see how others might, and certainly how others would get that impression.

But then you get the ASMRer's who don't show their head to get over this problem, which means you get a twenty minute video of somebody's cleavage instead, which is worse!

Some ASMR does have the desired effect with me, but not the videos of tapping/crinkling/scratching sounds.

[Skittles]

3. it's a fact, and I am a huge fan

Bob Ross was the King ASMRtist; yes INDEED

[IcyPeas]

4. This American Life on NPR had a report on this. here it is

I had never heard of this before I heard this. I wish I felt this It's very interesting to listen to.

[CrawlingChaos]

6. ASMR - no hyperbole - is one of the best things to happen to me in decades

I am, by nature, a tense, anxious insomniac. I have been since early childhood. I remember being put on heavy duty sleep meds (as in, Elavil) when I was in grade school because my Mom begged the doctor to give me something to make me sleep at night. I cannot tell you what it means to me to be able to trigger a relaxation response without drugs, which I would really like to avoid. But even beyond relaxation, there's a definite euphoric component to ASMR. It's a bit embarrassing to describe it this way, but the term "brain orgasm" is not too far off the mark. It's not as intense, of course, but you can keep it going a whole heck of a lot longer.

The ASMR experience - and I think I'm a strong responder - is something I'd been chasing my whole life, without knowing what to call it or how to make it happen. Everyone who knows me well has had to admit, I'm a longtime seeker of these triggers. I would ask people close to me to comb or braid my hair, or to stroke the inside of my wrist and palm. I would go into a trance listening to people type on certain keyboards that made the right kind of sound. And if someone had an ASMR voice, by God, I would listen to their life story as many times as they cared to tell it. If you have one of those voices, let me assure you, you are a precious commodity to people like me.

And holy crap - BOB ROSS. The ultimate, perfected ASMR GOD. I wish I could go back and find all the people I've encountered over the years who mentioned that they, too, found Bob Ross relaxing, because I now realize these are the people who could be blissing out to all the ASMR content that's now available. When I first heard the phenomenon described, it was like the heavens opened and a hallelujah chorus began to play, because I knew that was me.

I've discovered some really oddball triggers over the years. For instance, on game shows, when the model runs her hands over the prizes, often that will do it. There are also several triggers to be found on home shopping channels. Believe it or not, I find that when the host is going through the list of available colors, and if he/she touches each color as as they say the name of the color, that will set me off. But these pleasurable moments were all too fleeting.

Now that I have the embarrassment of riches provided by the ASMR community at my disposal, I've discovered that my most powerful trigger is probably tapping and scratching. It has to be the right surface, texture, speed, etc, but many of the content creators really have the knack. Some of my favorites include many of the big names:

GentleWhispering (Maria)
ASMRrequests (Ally)
MassageASMR (Dimitri)
Queen of Serene
AmalZD

And some smaller channels I like are:

Springbok ASMR
Silent Citadel
Christen Noel
ASMR Counting Sheep

The only downside is there is so much content to wade through and so little of it is truly effective. So many young women out there whispering in coquettish voices, so few of them truly have what I need. It's worth the effort though, and I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from trying their hand. You never know if you have *it* till you try. And what doesn't work for some, may work for others.

Hey I know I sound like a weirdo but, happily, I've reached the stage of my life where I no longer care about that

[magical thyme]

7. ok, I never heard of ASMR, but I recognized the sensation described

and am quite familiar with it.

But I just looked/listened to half a dozen videos and found them laughable. None brought out any sensation beyond

Oh well. While I get the feeling the most when somebody strokes my hair or shoulders, etc, I also get a very gentle version of it simply through meditation and some of the very good meditation tapes. Also live concerts of some classical music and Indian music.

Guess I'll stick with that and be grateful for it.

[T_i_B]

8. There are hair stroking ASMR videos

All sorts of bizarre stuff finds its way into ASMR videos, some of which is more effective then others, and what does it for one person doesn't do it for somebody else.

[magical thyme]

10. I guess I lack the voyeurism gene. I need it done to me. Watching somebody else doesn't cut it.

[CrawlingChaos]

9. The feeling evoked by music is generally described as frisson

Distinctly different from AMSR.

ASMR videos do look silly and boring to those on whom they have no effect. Even creepy. Many in the ASMR community have talked about the difficulty they experience coping with negative reactions from family and friends. As for me, I just want to feel good. If people want to laugh or snark, have at it. I'm just so glad to have found it.

[magical thyme]

11. actually frisson is the sensation of shivering/chills

and that's not what I'm talking about here, although some music causes that too. I recognize the difference.

I'm not snarking or laughing at anybody who finds that the videos stimulate that feeling. But the first video I turned to was somebody in a wierd "bird" costume. Sorry, but it made me go . The other videos were switching from one sound effect to another, and they just unnerved me and struck me as trying to hard. :hard: