What is ASMR and what makes it so popular nowadays?
How to decipher ASMR abbreviation? ASMR means autonomous sensory meridional response is both a psychological and physical experience. It includes feelings of peace, joy, and drowsiness, as well as tingling sensations on the scalp, the back of the neck, and in the spine. People typically experience an ASMR response when they feel a light touch, see a smiling face and gentle hand movements, or hear stimulating sounds such as light whispers, soft rustling of paper, rubbing of fingers, or soft smacking of one’s lips.
Although the term ASMR has only been around for about a decade, audio and video that relax, lower your heart rate, and cause tingling sensations have been around for much longer. Artist Bob Ross is considered an early author of ASMR (ASMR authors now use the term ASMRist). Millions of people still go to YouTube looking for videos of his soothing voice and the soft scratching of brushes and knives across the canvas, even though most of them have no intention of painting the little joyful clouds and trees.
While we don't know exactly how ASMR affects the brain, people who are sensitive to these images and sounds report that ASMR videos can help them fall asleep, reduce anxiety, and even treat PTSD and chronic pain symptoms.
Not everyone responds to the same ASMR incentives (and some people respond negatively to them), but because so many people enjoy them, ASMR is very popular.
Why do people like ASMR so much? Is there a scientific explanation?
ASMR technology is still not well understood, but there are few studies. In September 2018, American scientists published a study in the journal Bioimpacts in which they studied what happens in the brain while listening to ASMR using MRI. The subjects showed activation of brain regions associated with the reward system, the formation of pleasure and emotional arousal. In the same 2018, a study was conducted by British scientists from Sheffield University and Manchester Metropolitan University. Their research, published in the journal PLOS ONE, confirms that ASMR does reduce stress and sadness in subjects without affecting sexual arousal.
Does everyone enjoy ASMR?
Many people love it, but still not everyone. There are people in the world who suffer from misophonia - aversion to sounds. They may be irritated by whispering, eating, breathing or rustling packaging. Moreover, some sounds may seem pleasant, while others - intolerable.
Okay, is ASMR advertising more effective?
There is no single study of this issue. But, for example, in 2015, Dove's China branch released a series of ASMR videos, after which the number of website visitors jumped by 515%, and sales in September 2015 grew by 55% compared to September 2014. In addition, the campaign received 5.3 billion online mentions. ASMR ads for IKEA Oddly IKEA showed good results, as well as ad campaigns for half a dozen other brands.
Is it true that ASMR was known in 1974?
Exactly. In 1974, New Age icon Susan Chani, five times nominated for a Grammy, created the acclaimed audiologo of Coca-Cola. Yes, the one in which the hiss of the drink after the click of an opening bottle turns into the sound of bursting bubbles. The most amazing thing is that Chani did not record this sound in the studio, but created it using the Buchla 200 synthesizer, one of the first in history. In fact, she got what today we call ASMR, although in 1974 such a term, of course, did not exist.
