Introduction

In recent years, there has been growing interest in a previously unknown sensory phenomenon, named Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) by those capable of experiencing it. Those who describe ASMR claim it to be an anomalous sensory experience which has thus far escaped the eye of scientific research. There is a suggestion that ASMR may be of use for providing temporary relief to individuals with depression, stress and chronic pain. As ASMR has received some media attention in recent months, many have taken to public forums to explain their ability to induce ASMR to ease symptoms of these conditions in cases where other routes of treatment may have been lacking or ineffective (Taylor, 2013; TheWaterwhispers, 2013), while others use ASMR exclusively as a relaxation tool (Marsden, 2012). To date there has been no rigorous scientific exploration of ASMR, nor of the conditions which trigger or end the ASMR state.

Media designed specifically to produce ASMR has amassed a community of thousands of members. Capable individuals utilise a variety of visual and audio stimulation—most typically through video sharing—to achieve a tingling, static-like sensation widely reported to spread across the skull and down the back of the neck (Taylor, 2014). The advent of online video communities has facilitated a gathering of those who experience ASMR, and as a result hundreds of videos have been produced, viewed and shared with the goal of inducing this sensation, which is said to be paired with a feeling of intense relaxation. A dedicated ASMR subgroup on Reddit (http://www.reddit.com/r/asmr/) boasts 86,000 subscribers from around the world, and some of the most popular ASMR content creators on video sharing site Youtube (http://youtube.com/), for example GentleWhispering have upwards of 300,000 subscribers. Table 1 lists a number of these popular sources on Youtube. These figures show that the culture surrounding ASMR is in no way insignificant. Several reputable international media outlets have reported on the attention this phenomenon is receiving, and the lack of scientific explanation. (Marsden, 2012; Tomchak, 2014).

Name Channel URL Total views WhisperTalkStudios https://www.youtube.com/user/WhisperTalkStudios 218,900 GentleWhispering https://www.youtube.com/user/GentleWhispering 88,311,107 MassageASMR https://www.youtube.com/user/MassageASMR 46,575,761 Fairy Char ASMR https://www.youtube.com/user/feirychaRstaRs 9,008,828 Ephemeral Rift https://www.youtube.com/user/EphemeralRift 27,053,163 ASMRRequests https://www.youtube.com/user/ASMRrequests 648,590 TheUKASMR https://www.youtube.com/user/TheUKASMR 7,734,238 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.851/table-1

Though stimuli used to induce ASMR are widely varied, and devotees report that individual differences play a pivotal role in the effectiveness of each video, distinct themes appear to be present in ASMR media. Exploration of the most viewed ASMR media on Youtube uncovers what may be discrete categories of common triggers. For example, many of these videos depict role play situations, in which the viewer is placed in a position of ‘close proximity’ to another person in order to be cared for in some manner. Often this involves grooming (e.g., MassageASMR; Fairy Char ASMR), or being given some type of medical examination (e.g., WhisperTalkStudios). The tone of these types of ASMR media is usually one of having close attention paid to you, the viewer, with videos shot in a point of view manner. Other videos include acts which require a similar amount of focus, but directed towards objects, rather than the viewer (e.g., Ephemeral Rift).

ASMR videos also typically appear to include an emphasis on the use of sound to trigger the static sensation of ASMR, which include the subjects of these videos cycling through a variety of household items which make various noises when tapped upon or used (e.g., MassageASMR). On the surface, this trigger resulting in sensation seems quite similar to the experience of synaesthesia, a phenomenon in which specific external stimuli cause an internal experience in a second, unstimulated modality (Banissy, Jonas & Kadosh, 2014). The reported automatic, consistent response to audio-visual stimuli which is felt in tactile sensory modalities alongside a feeling of calm does appear to resemble synaesthesia in these aspects, though the tactile concurrents (secondary sensations in the unstimulated modality; Cytowic, 2002) found in ASMR appear to be more tangible than those experienced in synaesthesia (ie. tingling on the skin). Even with this being the case, the positive emotional response of calm said to be triggered by ASMR media consumption could potentially be considered a form of sound-emotion synaesthesia.

Reports of ASMR experiences also appear to share some features with the state of “flow,” which is the state of intense focus and diminished awareness of the passage of time that is often associated with optimal performance in several activities, including sport (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikzentmihaly, 1991; Swann et al., 2014). Anecdotal reports of ASMR describe states of focus, of greater “presence” and of relaxation which are consistent with the non-active aspects of flow.

The aim of the current study was to describe the sensations associated with ASMR, explore the ways in which it is typically induced in capable individuals, and to provide further thoughts on where this sensation may fit into current knowledge on atypical perceptual experiences. This research also aims to explore the extent to which engagement with ASMR may ease symptoms of depression and chronic pain. As ASMR has yet to be defined within scientific literature, this study will utilise survey data and qualitative descriptive contributions from participants to explore the characteristics of ASMR, and to provide a basis for later experimental investigation.