Baba himself has become something of a small Internet celebrity. Many people have made the trek to his shop in Pushkar, India for one of Baba's cosmic head rubs. I had never seen anything like it (though vigorous head rubs are relatively common throughout much of Asia), and never experienced the tingles in such a way.

I watched the Baba video over and over again, and it became very clear this was something I could control. And yet, it didn't take much concentration. While watching an ASMR video, I tend to zone out. It takes little effort to put myself in the scene or imagine myself somewhere. The best experience is similar to meditation, in which I am focusing solely on absorbing the sound and sights.

The video’s effects, however, eventually wore off, leading me to look for similar experiences. Meanwhile, a small movement of others were doing the same.

The term "ASMR" slowly began to gain traction in 2010; around 2011 it took off in Google and YouTube searches (see above graph), but still remained a cult hobby unknown to the mainstream. ASMRtists themselves were learning about tingles and triggers alongside more casual users like me. Most discovered ASMR like I did, by happenstance.

Except for Ally. She says she did not experience ASMR growing up. When her boyfriend introduced her to the videos, she was understandably skeptical.

“I noticed that a lot of young, pretty girls were doing videos, and I was like, ‘Really? You get tingles, then you go to sleep? Really?'” Ally says.

This is a common reaction among people who encounter ASMR videos but do not experience the tingles themselves. (Maybe you're thinking it right now.) Many videos have a purposefully intimate feel, as personal attention tends to increase the likelihood of triggering. However, the sensation is not sexual in nature, although outside viewers tend to make that association, as Ally did.

“It's not a sexual thing,” Ally says. “It couldn't be farther from an erotic thing.”

In general, the nature of ASMR videos tend to be off-putting to the uninitiated, but ASMR’s emergence in pop culture has made it easier to discuss publicly, hopefully leading to greater understanding and possibly research into the feeling. Various media outlets have published stories that usually amount to “look at this weird Internet thing!” which is fair because it is a pretty weird Internet thing. There’s also a documentary on the way. The popular Internet TV show High Maintenance recently featured a character making ASMR videos. In an interview, the show’s creators noted the stigma that comes with watching them.

I’ve only brought ASMR up with a handful of friends, almost all of them since beginning work on this story, in an attempt to gauge their reaction. Bemused scrutiny is the most common refrain.