One night, in another YouTube binge, a crooked trail of links led me to a strange video where a pretty blonde in a quiet, penetrating voice, looking straight into the camera, introduced herself as my beautician and drove cotton pads in front of my “face” for an hour.
Here is the video.
At about the twentieth minute, I realized that a little more - and I would fall asleep with my face in the keyboard. My brain was pristinely empty and my scalp felt nicely tightened.
But instead of going to bed, I, of course, got into the description of the video, and then - in Google. That's how I learned about the phenomenon.
What it is
ASMR(autonomous sensory meridian response, autonomous sensory meridian response) is a neologism that defines and describes the sensations of contraction and pleasant tingling of the skin of the head, back and limbs caused by sound, visual, cognitive and other stimuli.
This is what Wikipedia says, this is echoed by all the video explanations from the series “Why I whisper into the microphone” from ASMR people on . They also say that there are many triggers that cause an ASMR response (whispering and soft speech, crunching and fingering various objects, wet mouth sounds and breathing, personal attention, and so on), and that many adults have experienced the effect of ASMR in .
There are no scientific confirmations of the ASMR phenomenon yet, and I would write off ASMR as another anti-scientific rubbish, if not for one thing: I immediately understood what kind of sensation we were talking about. I experienced it while watching that video, and yes, I experienced it as a child during the banal games of girls like "daughter-mother". That relaxing tightening of the scalp is it.
What is it eaten with
ASMR has a huge community on YouTube. Not as big as gamers or beauty vloggers, but top channels have between 200,000 and 500,000 subscribers, and top videos have millions of views.
You ask: what do all these people find in this?
- ASMR helps you relax and fall asleep. Videos are very popular among those who have chronic, cannot let go of daytime stress and switch to rest. They often watch videos in bed. Many write that they wake up with ears in their ears, literally not noticing how they fell asleep.
- ASMR delivers . Some people just like to feel tingles - those same tingling sensations on the skin that trigger ASMR videos. It's like going for a light free massage or. And yes, there is ASMR erotica too.
- ASMR is a placebo for loneliness. Videos help people who have difficulties with communication to get a surrogate for communication, and people who feel they are not needed by anyone - a surrogate for attention. The format of most ASMR videos creates the feeling that the person "on TV" is talking to you, helping you, taking care of you. Many people like it, and it's not just about chronic social phobias. Suddenly you had a bad day, you are sad or, and calling someone in the middle of the night is somehow not out of hand. That's when ASMR video can come in handy.
What's on the menu
All ASMR videos can be roughly divided into two broad categories: trigger videos and role-playing videos.
trigger video are videos filled with pure triggers. For example, a video where the presenter or presenter whispers something inarticulate into a microphone for 20 minutes, or touches rice with their fingers, or runs their nails over velvet, or performs any of the hundreds of manipulations that cause an ASMR response. Many popular ASMR bloggers have "Find Your Trigger" videos where they mix the most common triggers so the viewer can find the right ones.
role videos similar to what I showed above. There are triggers here too, but they are part of the story. Favorite subjects: a visit to a beauty salon (for a haircut, to a beautician), a visit to a store, a visit to a doctor. You are almost always rendered some kind of service, they take care of you, they surround you with attention.
To many, such videos will seem stupid and ridiculous, and in order to enjoy them, you need to turn on the so-called faith in the circumstances(from the English suspension of disbelief, literally “postponing unbelief”). This is when, sitting in a movie, you accept as a fact that a scientist can make a flying suit out of scrap metal in a week. When you believe in what is happening, even if it is illogical, in order to get the high that you came for.
Not all role-playing videos are equal. Some authors offer plots and circumstances that are simply ridiculous, like a video about making a deposit in a bank at 40% per annum (I'm not kidding). Some feign a visit to a beauty salon, although it is obvious that this is happening in their dark, untidy bedroom. In general, the pleasure of role-playing videos is a two-way job. The viewer's task is to believe, the author's task is to make it be believed. Personally, role-playing videos are my favorite, and the triggers in them work better than in their pure form.
- Headphones. Competent ASMR speakers use binaural microphones. This is especially noticeable in role-playing videos when, say, the "hairdresser" walks around you (actually around the microphone, of course) and says - it seems as if the voice really floats around your head, which in itself works as a trigger. Therefore, only headphones. With the effect is not the same.
- If your goal is, watching ASMR video can work to your own detriment: the light of the screen excites nervous system and interrupt the production of melatonin. The alternative is to donate the video sequence, extract audio from your favorite ASMR videos(here, for example) and listen to them before going to bed.
- Many people don't experience the characteristic tingling sensation when watching ASMR videos, but they still watching for a calming effect. Perhaps you are one of those.
- Most of the quality ASMR content is on , but don't let that put you off even if you don't know the language. Firstly, in a trigger video it doesn’t matter at all, they don’t say it there. And the plot of role-playing videos is so simple that you may be satisfied with some sounds and visuals. In addition, many ASMR lovers say that it is even easier for them to get desired effect, when they do not fully understand the speaker's speech or is it a speech with a noticeable accent (see Maria GentleWhispering above and below, American fans love her for her accent too).
Most delicious
Ellie ASMRRequests
Winner in the nomination "Professionalism and Innovation" and my personal favorite. Ellie makes the best ASMR role-playing videos: best script, best setting (one of the first to use green screen), costumes, makeup and the list goes on. Every detail is thought out in her videos. She was the first to think of combining ASMR and VR (virtual reality).
Classics of the genre - a visit to the beautician.
The first episode of her sci-fi series Departure. The second episode is out. The third, with bated breath, is waiting for 300,000 channel subscribers.
ASMR + VR = WIN.
Maria GentleWhispering
By the number of views, the already mentioned Maria is the undisputed queen of ASMR. As a commenter said under one of Ellie's ASMRRequests videos: "Cool, but still no one compares to that Russian lady." Maria is indeed from Russia, she moved to America while studying at the university (there is also a video about this). Fans adore her soothing, gentle voice, cute accent and smooth hand movements.
About what ASMR is, in Russian.
An example of a men's suit. One of the most popular videos of Maria and in general.
Heather Feather
4.5 hours of different triggers.
MassageASMR
4.5 - not enough? Here's 10 o'clock.
Ephemeral Rift
Masculine ASMR for real men. Lots of great humor for those in the know, and tons of triggers, of course. Seriously, Ephemeral Rift is the craziest ASMR on YouTube, with insane, surreal role-playing videos.
And this, ladies and gentlemen-lifehackers, is just the tip of the iceberg. Happy viewing!
Alexandra Savina
The abbreviation ASMR stands for"autonomous sensory meridional response". This is the name given to a pleasant sensation (tingling in the back of the head or goosebumps) that some people experience in response to sound, visual, or other stimuli. ASMR-sensitive people may respond to, for example, whispering, soft speech or sounds, rustling, tapping nails on surfaces, blowing into a microphone, smooth hand movements, and more. There is a whole genre of ASMR video - so popular that they does even W Magazine. To a person unfamiliar with ASMR, they may seem strange: for example, the authors of the videos often portray someone - travel agents or receptionists, whisper or speak quietly, address the audience as good friends or, for example, a few minutes unpack parcel or draw.
Although the effect of ASMR is often referred to as "braingasm", there is no sexual connotation in these videos: ASMR-sensitive people watch them to relax, calm down or get rid of sleep problems. We have selected several YouTube channels to help you with this.
Gentle Whispering ASMR
The Gentle Whispering account is run by Maria, who is rightfully considered the queen of the genre - almost a million subscribers are the best proof of this. The creator of Gentle Whispering is from Russia, but lives in the States, so she makes the video mostly in English. Asmra has works for every taste - from role plays (videos in which she portrays another person - for example, a doctor or a teacher), including in Russian, to sorting out shopping, makeup and combing hair. She also has a vlog channel whose videos are just as comforting; there, by the way, she also conducts magical rituals every new moon and full moon.
Heather Feather ASMR
Another popular ASMR blog. Most often, Heather shoots all the same rollplays, but besides them there are also calming sounds, and training ASMR video, and instructions for meditation, and videos to help you fall asleep. Over the few years of the channel's existence, Heather has managed to collect more than 120 million views - an impressive result. The asmr recently moved to a new house, where she set up an entire video recording studio in the basement with soundproofing, a set of backgrounds and lots of shelving for scrap materials. It seems that work on it continues, and therefore she uploads videos less often than before.
fastASMR
The fastASMR channel has a lot of different videos: our favorite is a video with a mermaid pillow, but there is also rollplays, and videos where the author whispers text, and ASMR triggers, and video from kinetic sand, and even videos where the author pretends that cleans the viewer's ears. For maximum effect, it is better to watch the video with headphones - they use "surround" sound. Like many ASMR artists (or artists - depending on which translation you like best), the girl records audio on a microphone that looks like a cylinder with two ears - this way the sensations turn out to be as close to reality as possible.
ASMRrequests
Ellie came up with ASMRrequests after she jokingly recorded an ASMR video for her young man- he liked it so much that she decided to try doing it for other people. Strangers on the Internet appreciated the efforts, partly because the asmrshchita's roleplays are head and shoulders above the work of her colleagues in terms of production level and sometimes even use good special effects. Now the girl also records quiet vlogs and videos with tapping and experimenting with genres, combining several scenarios at once. Ellie herself says that at first she was not ASMR-sensitive, but gradually learned to experience these sensations - so if now you do not feel a slight tingle and calmly react to various triggers, this does not mean anything.
albinwhisperland
Hey LB from the land of whispers is a real fan of everything vintage and feminine, so she tries not to change her usual style in her videos; You can follow her hobbies on the second, non-ASMR channel. The author herself looks like Princess Bubblegum - so delightful pink hair rarely seen in life; sometimes on the channel, she even uses them as a trigger, combing or braiding. In general, there are not so many videos here, but they are all made incredibly delicately: the creator of the channel leafing through books, paints illustrations, unpacks shipping boxes and trains, commenting on his actions in a whisper. Sometimes she speaks in the image of Morticia Addams - of course, also in the ASMR genre.
Made In France ASMR
French ASMR channel, the author of which does not show his face - even in roleplays you can see him at best the chin. The channel has a video on English and French, although in many videos the author does not say anything - for example, he has a whole playlist, dedicated to objects and the sounds they make, such as matches that extinguish in water. Someone will find it boring, but believe me - falling asleep to the lulling hissing or tapping sounds is a pleasure.
The EMOJOIE CUISINE channel also offers to combine business with pleasure. These are videos from step by step recipes, which have an ASMR-like sound: you can hear cheesecake biscuits being crushed, sugar being poured into a bowl, ingredients being mixed together, or the mixture simmering on the stove. For best effect The creators of the channel recommend watching each video with headphones. In general, be careful - falling asleep over the included stove can be dangerous.
Bob Ross
The heyday of the career of TV presenter Bob Ross came at a time when the concept of ASMR did not yet exist - but it was he who contributed to its emergence. For more than ten years, Ross hosted the program "The Joy of Painting", in which he taught viewers how to draw. The artist speaks in a not too quiet, but calm and measured voice, besides, he deliberately mixes paints loudly and runs a brush over the canvas - quite an ASMR. Many contemporary bloggers admit that Ross's broadcast was their first ASMR experience and that they still remember him fondly.
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With the development of globalization, the obscurity of available information and the increased amount of stress, each of us is forced to deal with it. There are many ways to deal with stress and calm down, get relaxation and enter a peaceful state. One of the rapidly gaining popularity ways to get rid of internal tension is asmr. So, let's de figure out what Asmr is and why this phenomenon is rapidly gaining momentum all over the world.
This phenomenon is a specific reaction of the body to the surrounding sounds and visual stimuli (rather, soothed).
Examples of such sounds: rustling with different films and gloves, soft singing, whispering, tapping on various objects, role-playing games(for example, at a doctor or in a beauty salon). All these imitations of real or fantastic events are designed to immerse a person in a relaxing atmosphere, as if the situation is really happening.
A person hears sounds belonging to a particular situation, relaxes and falls asleep sweetly. Of course, if it is an asmr-sensitive person. What is ASMR sensitivity? - this is the presence of the very reaction to sounds that makes you relax and get sensations very similar to a slight tickling in the brain)
Therapeutic effect of ASMR and withdrawal from sleeping pills
Many people who come to ASMR have had problems with constant feelings of tension and fear, the stress in their lives and the inability to get rid of it has led them to ASMR. Also, many of them could not sleep due to headaches, which ASMR helps a lot. There are cases when a person refused sleeping pills, because there was no longer a need for it - after listening to ASMR, he fell asleep easily and sweetly.
What are triggers and what are they?
Triggers are sounds that cause pleasant and relaxing sensations and there are a myriad of them, here are the main ones.
- Rustling - rustling with cellophane, gloves, washcloths and even slimes;
- Tapping on objects (wooden objects, glass, keyboard typing);
- Sounds of rain and water;
- Voice sounds - whisper, unintelligible whisper, calm conversation;
- Book reading and page turning sounds;
- Sounds of ear massage, stroking with brushes on the face and ears;
- Smooth hand movements;
- and even mouth sounds, chewing, champing and chewing of your ears)
Write what your favorite triggers are.
Top 5 Best ASMR YouTube Channels for Complete Relaxation
Write your favorite ASMR speakers.
Hello blog readers! Tell me, do you know what ASMR is and why there is a lot of controversy around this phenomenon? First, let's get acquainted with the definition. So, the abbreviation ASMR in Russian and ASMR in English stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, respectively. The so-called ASMR phenomenon manifests itself in the form of sensations: goosebumps, tingling, "pouring" of heat in the scalp, neck, spreading through the body, arms and legs.
And that's all - in response to stimuli, which are called triggers (in English trigger - trigger, detonator, trigger). Visual (visual) or auditory (auditory) effects can act as triggers: smooth movement of hands, personal attention, whispering, tapping nails on different surfaces, rustling paper, blowing in the ear and other sounds and actions.
What is ASMR or unique effect
The name ASMR originated in 2010 - it was proposed by the founder of the Facebook thematic group Jennifer Allen (alias - Envelope Nomia). The phenomenon itself exists, probably, as long as humanity. I remember as a child playing with a girlfriend “to school” - she was a teacher, and I was a student. And I caught myself ready to look “from behind the desk” at her hand movements with a pointer on the “board” for a long, long time, because such pleasant goosebumps ran along and across the back of my head, and I somehow slowed down and wanted a little sleep. Well, going to the salon to the hairdresser, if the master does not pull his hair, but works carefully and slowly, it’s just a holiday of goosebumps for me since childhood. And again - the ASMR effect.
In such a state, when something causes pleasant sensations, and there is no need to think at all, both muscular and intellectual relaxation occurs. A person rests both physically and mentally. Relaxation does not lead to falling asleep, but the session gives a feeling of rest, a kind of “reboot” without sleep. Although often falling asleep also takes place. Many people suffering from insomnia, various phobias and panic attacks becomes easier after ASMR sessions. Note that not all people experience the same ASMR effect. There are those who are absolutely not sensitive to any triggers. For some, something specific is effective, while the other causes irritation. As they say, we are all different.
ASMR on the Internet
Why was the name given to the phenomenon not so long ago and in general - not in a scientific environment, but in a virtual one? As far as I understood, scientists were not very interested in studying this phenomenon. And the interest on the Internet arose because they began to create videos with role-playing games. It has nothing to do with what you might think in connection with this phrase. 🙂 ASMR is not erotic at all. And although another name for the effect is braingasm (brain orgasm), here a completely different kind of pleasure is felt. And if there is an erotic subtext, it only spoils the whole pleasantness of the action of ASMR triggers.
A whole community of people has emerged in the virtual space for whom the ASMR effect is relevant. Often even as a means of helping not only to relax, but to survive some difficult life situations. Plunging into such a somewhat lulling state, a person disconnects from stressful experiences. In the videos, the hosts (or asmr-tists) are located close to the camera, make smooth, soft movements, speak quietly or in a whisper, pay attention to the viewer, as if they are nearby. The following situations are often recreated:
- at the barbershop
- at the doctor
- in the massage room
- at the cosmetologist
- at the make-up artist
This is due to the personal attention that causes the ASMR effect. Various triggers can be used at the same time: “ear-to-ear” whisper (the presenter whispers into the microphones on the left and right in turn, but it feels like it’s in your ear), “mouth sounds”, the rustle of paper pages and others. Videos are best viewed with headphones, then the sounds are perceived as intended, and the effect of presence is enhanced. In addition to video, there is also ASMR radio, which, of course, uses only hearing.
Note that, sadly, even ASMR-sensitive people get used to some kind of video, and the effect is either muted or disappears altogether. To "reanimate" the feeling, it is better to stop watching and listening for a while, or watch or listen to another presenter.
My Favorite ASMR Videos
I learned about the effect itself as something recognized and existing, and I learned about YouTube videos in 2015. Not all videos and not all hosts, like triggers, I like. What doesn't work for me at all is tapping my nails on any surface. And any actions with paper cause the opposite effect - goosebumps, but the same as from gnashing of teeth. 😀 And “mouth sounds” are not mine at all. The main thing is to choose both the author-leader of the video and the video itself - then relaxation at the highest level is obtained.
Maria and her channel Gentle Whispering ASMR
A wonderful girl, very kind, friendly and her videos are wonderful. Maria approaches the creation of videos with great responsibility. Great lighting, great outfits, amazing environment. Masha lives in the USA, but continues to make videos in Russian. Not as much, however, as we would like. But I’ve been watching in English lately - the ASMR effect occurs even when I don’t understand what it’s about at all. Maria has a lot of videos on a variety of topics. And they are wonderful!
Olesya and her channel ASMRmania
The wonderful host is also a very friendly girl, so sympathetic to everyone, caring. Olesya also has videos in both Russian and English language. But, in my opinion, their number is the same (if I'm not mistaken). Olesya has a lot of videos on the topic “at the doctor”, I even thought that she had a medical education - everything is so competently, with the appropriate use of professional terms, is built into the text. I was even surprised when, in the Q&A video, Olesya apologized to the doctors for possibly incorrect information. Although in the ASMR video, authenticity is not at all important!
Anna and her channel SensitiveTrigger Response
Playful and a little hooligan, but very caring girl. Anna lives in Holland, but she also has a lot of videos in Russian. They are distinguished by their individuality, their style. I love Anna's style. The girl puts a lot of work and soul into the creation of ASMR videos. Some of them are very long, which is rare.
Each girl has her own story, and getting to know them is a separate interest. Many thanks to each of the creators of the ASMR video. There is also a well-known ASMR-tist Daria Lozhkina, whom I personally will only get to know. There is Valeria, who makes every video better.
Dear readers, are you familiar with such videos, do you watch other authors? Or was the information completely new to you? Please share!
To the uninitiated, the very title of this article will seem delusional. Tickling for the brain, and even sound ... How can this be? It turns out that even as it can, and today the number of people who are fond of ASMR is steadily growing. However, if you don't already know fashion trend, which recently appeared in the Internet environment, we are ready to tell you about everything. It’s a pity that it’s not verbal - who knows, maybe the voice of our author would have affected you in the same way that some sounds affect those who like to tickle the brain.
For the first time the term ASMR/ASMR (autonomous sensory meridional response) was recorded at the beginning of 2010 in the name of one of the groups social network Facebook. The creator of the community, Jennifer Allen, suggested that this is how to christen the pleasant sensations that almost all people experience when they hear pleasant sounds, whispers, foreign speech, speech with an accent, or become the object of someone's care, touch, etc. Simply put, these sensations are familiar to us as goosebumps, a pleasant tingling and warmth that occurs in the back of the head and then smoothly descends to the back. Surely you have noticed that any sound or a certain action makes you relax, sometimes even shudder with pleasure. Some feel ticklish thanks to a quiet breathy whisper, others literally melt when they hear the sound of beads being fingered or pages turning, still others are more focused not on sound, but on the presence of a person playing a specific role: for example, they relax at a doctor's appointment or in the hairdresser's salon.
Each of us has our own triggers (that's what the ASMR followers call the ticklish stimulus), and since there are simply great amount, on the Internet, people once appeared who wanted to satisfy any ASMR needs.
This is how well-known bloggers appeared on large video hosting sites who shoot ASMR videos for those who want to tickle their brains.
ASMR video: role play for goosebumps
What do these videos show? Starting with beautiful pictures, accompanied by an off-screen quiet voice, sometimes turning into a whisper, and ending with specially played scenes, thanks to which you can imagine that you have come to a restaurant, to a doctor's appointment or chatting with a friend over a cup of coffee after a long shopping trip. I must say that ASMR bloggers take their hobby very seriously, which is probably why the number of their subscribers is constantly growing and reaches several hundred thousand.
However, this phenomenon has both supporters and opponents. The second, despite all the assurances of ASMR followers who claim that this hobby is asexual in nature, say: bloggers are real fetishists, and their “work” is similar to virtual porn. By the way, even neurobiologists cannot yet say exactly how to relate to the fashion trend in the Internet space. Tom Stafford, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield, believes that the phenomenon of ASMR cannot be denied, it is not fiction, and it really exists, but by its nature it is almost impossible to study. Well, lovers of goosebumps can only enjoy without trying to get to the bottom of it.
Someone compares the action of triggers with euphoria, others even say that ASMR is an orgasm for the brain.
What is it for?
Those who are subscribed to ASMR channels and watch their videos almost daily explain their passion as follows: such videos help to distract from problems, calm down, relax and fall asleep. Yes, yes, it is with insomnia, according to the majority, that ASMR videos are able to fight. Someone compares the action of triggers with euphoria, others even say that ASMR is an orgasm for the brain. And after all, no one will argue with the fact that an orgasm is pleasant. However, ASMR also has its own “indications for use”: it is recommended to watch the recordings in a calm environment - no screaming against the background of children and relatives, it is better if you are alone in the room. As for the sound, it is still better to choose headphones between speakers and headphones - thanks to them, you can completely immerse yourself in the atmosphere that the blogger is trying to create. In addition, it is in the headphones that you will feel how someone whispers pleasant words in your ear, this will not work with speakers.
What's wrong with ASMR
In addition to the fact that this hobby is really a bit like fetishism, there are also some pitfalls that you should be aware of if you are seriously interested in such a subculture. Firstly, not every person who shoots an ASMR video can be called a professional in their field. Some of them look rather stupid and can spoil the opinion of the phenomenon as a whole once and for all. Secondly, some bloggers are not entirely honest - some of them have clearly excelled in NLP techniques and are trying to drive viewers into a trance state with the help of a penchant for hypnosis. Thirdly, for you, this type of art (namely, as ASMR is called by its followers) may turn out to be unacceptable - annoying, frightening, causing a smile and a desire to write an ironic comment. In this case, it's better to just turn off the video and try to relax with something else. Just because ASMR isn't for you doesn't mean it's stupid. As you know, all felt-tip pens are different in taste and color.