The internet is a weird place. There you are enjoying Ava Max’s “So am I” music video on YouTube and when you look at the right-hand sidebar, there’s a video called ASMR Black Bean Noodles + Octopus. What gives?
When the curiosity finally gets the best of you and you click on the video, it couldn’t get any weirder. You see a woman eating noodles and octopus but it seems the focus is not on the food, but the sound. “That’s weird… What is this video supposed to be?”, you wonder.
My friend, welcome to the world of ASMR.
What is ASMR?
ASMR is short for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It’s a tingling sensation starting from your scalp and going through the back of your neck, the spine, and sometimes all the way to your limbs. ASMR is usually triggered by a gentle sound stimulus.
The History of ASMR
The first time the abbreviation ASMR came to be was in 2010. Jennifer Allen coined the term after researching her own experience with the weird tingling sensation she felt when she was in her early 20s. Her quest for answers led her to the fact that she wasn’t alone. Many people had experienced the weird feeling she had had. After much thought, she named the sensation Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.
Jennifer created a Facebook ASMR group in 2010 to get people to open up and talk about their experiences. The group was a safe haven for those who experienced ASMR to share their stories without being judged.
The Boom of ASMR
The first ASMR channel on YouTube, GentleWhisperer uploaded its first video on April 22, 2009. Mind you, it didn’t even mention ASMR in the description or title back then. Regardless, the video was meant to trigger ASMR on its viewers.
Ten years later, the channel has over 1.7 million subscribers. Other channels focusing on ASMR are also crowded with millions of subscribers. This phenomenon shows just how much growth ASMR content has these recent years.
The ASMR buzz has even hit corporates like Apple. Apple’s latest iPhone ads were four videos that were supposedly shot using iPhone XS and XS Max. The four videos are titled “A calm rain at camp“, “Crunching sounds on the trail“, “Satisfying woodshop sounds“, and “Whispers from Ghost Forest“. Whether they’re good ASMR videos or bad ones is up to one’s interpretation. Nevertheless, it’s a fascinating milestone for the ASMR world. With hundreds of millions of iPhone users out there, Apple’s move may be able to push ASMR into the mainstream.
The Benefits of ASMR
ASMR content received such a warm welcome because it had its benefits – to some distinct group of people at least. Many experience some funny and tingling experience inside. But for a select few, the effect of ASMR is more profound.
There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence of the benefits of ASMR. People claim that watching ASMR video to help them to relax and cope with depression. A recent study by researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK confirmed the benefits of ASMR. The study shows that people who experience ASMR benefit emotionally and physiologically when watching videos that trigger the sensations
Where Can I Get ASMR Audio?
The ambient-mixer.com has no shortage of ASMR ambient sounds for you to enjoy. You can explore the calming tropical rain forest, wild summer glade, and a whole lot more.
Why not try becoming an ASMR artist yourself? Ambient-mixer.com makes it easy for you to create a new ambiance and share it. Go ahead and try it today.
