Hey there and welcome to Life Noggin.
Have you ever been listening to music or watching a video and started to have a strange tingling
feeling?
Maybe you were watching a Bob Ross video and were overcome with a sense of relaxation as
you watched him paint those happy little trees.
Well, if you have, you just might have been experiencing a growing phenomenon known as
ASMR.
An Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, is where a person experiences a static-like,
tingling sensation.
This usually begins across the skull or neck and can move to other parts of the body, like
the spine.
Oh great, now I feel like I’m describing a skeleton... good thing Halloween is right
around the corner!
These sensations Mr. Funny Bones here is feeling are the body’s response to certain stimuli,
like sights and sounds.
Look how relaxed he is!
But before we go any further, keep in mind that the ASMR field is so new that little
has been scientifically studied.
There wasn't even a term to describe it until 2010!
Some scientists even wonder if ASMR is a real, measurable thing.
That being said, the anecdotal accounts for the phenomenon are practically /endless/.
But more importantly, the first peer-reviewed research paper on the subject came out last
year.
Let’s take a dive into what they learned!
The researchers wanted to find the biggest triggers of an ASMR experience and also explore
to what degree it could be used to ease symptoms of depression and chronic pain.
They found that the biggest triggers were whispering, personal attention, and crisp
sounds like the rapping of metallic foil and the tapping of long fingernails.
However, the sound of someone’s laughter and the noise of a vacuum cleaner proved to
be the worst triggers of the ones examined.
See Fido, humans don’t like the sound of the evil mechanical monster either!
On top of that, eighty percent of their participants said their mood was improved due to ASMR.
And there was even a significant difference between chronic pain symptoms before versus
during a session.
And while it fell a little short of being statistically significant, there might be
a link between synaesthesia and ASMR.
Synaesthesia occurs when two or more senses are attached to on one another.
The stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to an automatic experience with a second one.
So, someone could involuntarily link words with taste.
And since synaesthesia and ASMR both involve the senses, the idea that they’re related
sure makes...sense.
Ba-dum-ch!
Our brains are extraordinary organs that we’ve only begun to understand.This study is by
no means where the research should end, but rather an opening expedition into the unexplored
waters of such a curious topic!
What are your thoughts on ASMR?
Do you think it's real?
Have you experienced it?
Let me know in the comments below.
If you want to learn why humans can hear things in the first place, make sure to check out
this video here.
There’s a link in the description if you’re on mobile.
Make sure you come back every Monday for a brand new video.
As always, I’m Blocko and this has been Life Noggin.
Don’t forget to keep on thinking!