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ASMR is thethird most popular search term on youtubeworldwide.
But in case you havent heard of it, it stands forautonomous sensory meridian response.
The tingling sensation comes in waves and is a trance-like immersive state accompanied by feelings of euphoria and relaxation.
Interest in ASMR has exploded over the past ten years since the term was coined.
What started as ashort whispering videoon YouTube in 2009 has since gone viral.
So-called ASMRtists gather millions of views on their videos which can elicit this trance-like state ofeuphoric relaxation.
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But heres what we already know.
Second, although people have their own particular tastes, there are remarkable consistencies inASMR triggers.
Its no surprise, then, that the most popular ASMR videos simulate thislayering of triggers.
Brain tingles
There have been three brain imaging studies on ASMR.
One looked at the areas activated when the reported tingles are happening in real-time.
The study looked atten participants who experienced ASMRand had them watch ASMR videos in an fMRI machine.
This idea is somewhat supported by research showing that ASMR can make those experiencing itfeel more connectedto other people.
That might sound like a bad thing, but it doesnt have to be.
But the way in which we do that can differ between people.
Overall, research suggests that people who experience ASMR have a greater tendency to havemore immersive or absorbing experiences.
Therapy tool
We now havepreliminary scientific evidenceto support these anecdotal claims.
People with ASMR show significant reductions in theirheart rateswhen watching ASMR videos.
These stress reductions were comparable to those experienced during mindfulness and music therapy.
But whether or not ASMR can and should be used as an effective form of therapy is still unknown.
This is an exciting time for ASMR research because theres still so much we dont yet know.
Hopefully, research might also someday be able to answer why only some people experience this unique phenomenon.
This article is republished fromThe ConversationbyGiulia Poerio, Associate lecturer,University of Essexunder a Creative Commons license.
