ASMR Videos: Love It or Hate It?

PS science doesn't believe in it

For all the things Instagram has brought into my life, here's one I take issue with: ASMR. If you're unaware of what it stands for or what it actually is, you're about to get a crash course lesson, so sit tight.

ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Was that helpful? Didn't think so. Here's what it means: when you hear certain sounds (usually combined with a visual), you feel a tingling sensation in your scalp, neck, back, and it's usually described as a pleasing sensation, almost euphoric. The term "braingasm" has been used by many, according to my internet studies.

Another fun fact? After much digging, it's basically a viral phenomenon that has little scientific evidence to support it. Not saying it's not real, but it's one of those things that evidently, scientists have a hard time taking seriously. From this article in Psychology Today, March 2021:

• Even though countless people claim to experience ASMR, researchers say they struggle to have studies on it funded or taken seriously by the scientific community.

• Recent findings, however, suggest that ASMR has valid neurobiological underpinnings and may have a future as a complement to traditional mental health treatment.

• ASMR could help patients relax or sleep, experts speculate—but shouldn't be seen as a replacement for more structured, evidence-based forms of therapy.

While there are plenty of people who love ASMR and find it relaxing or comforting, there are others who despise it, and I am in that group. I find some ASMR just plain irritating, while other sounds can truly border on torture. I'm not even exaggerating.

When I listen to ASMR that switches from one ear to the other, or hear a soft whisper in one ear only, my lower back will contract and arch involuntarily (and intensely) on the corresponding side, like 2-3 inches from my spine. It's so uncomfortable and awkward, I definitely thought I'd be a candidate for a "based on a true story" patient on an episode of Grey's Anatomy one day.

I have one very specific instance that I associate with this intense feeling and my first memory of it: a trip to the eye doctor. You know when they get up in your face, shine their little light in your eye and tell you to blink and shit? I swear to god, if I were a child, I would throw such a tantrum. To this day, I HATE going to the eye doctor because of it.

It's truly so hard to explain if you don't experience it, but this feeling is the opposite of pleasurable. I would try to brace myself since I knew it was coming, and still, no change. Completely involuntary response from my body. I could never just say "hey could you not whisper??" because I truly didn't know what the issue was and I felt stupid. I knew it had to do with their voice, but I couldn't explain why that would be a thing. Who could?

So in a way, scientific proof or not, I am thankful to these people and social media for creating some awareness on this topic. Because prior to the discovery of ASMR, I always felt like a gigantic weirdo for having those CRAZY muscle spasm-like responses simply to someone whispering in my ear.

All that said, now that it's shoved in my face regularly on social media, I can stand certain types of it, but soft, whispery voices are still a hard no. Those trigger me in a very unpleasant way. In terms of cooking sounds, thankfully that appears in both ears and is also a game of trial and error. I've discovered that a knife scraping on a crusty piece of bread = no, but sizzling butter in a pan with steak = hell yes. Everybody is different.

What's your ASMR trigger or do you not get affected by it at all? I'm so curious.

Also if anyone experiences the crazy back spasm thing, let me know. I have found a few Reddit threads for people like us #lol.