Buzz
For 20 minutes, Maria, with her gentle voice, guides YouTube audiences through the process of folding towels. The video, showcasing only her hands, a sleek black table, and a towel, has garnered over 1.3 million views. Its popularity stems not from a widespread desire to master towel folding but from the growing number of individuals experiencing autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a tingling sensation throughout the body triggered by soft, monotonous sounds.
ASMR is described as a neurological phenomenon where individuals feel 'brain orgasms,' a delightful tingling that starts at the head or neck and spreads across the body. Common triggers include instructional videos, haircuts, empathy, appreciation of music or art, slow and clear speech, and personal closeness. In the ASMR community, figures like Bob Ross and NPR hosts are highly revered. Many seek out and repeatedly watch mundane videos to induce ASMR episodes, finding them deeply relaxing.
Despite the strong conviction among ASMR enthusiasts about its reality, the scientific community remains skeptical. PubMed, a repository for peer-reviewed medical literature, contains no articles on autonomous sensory meridian response, and many medical professionals dismiss the phenomenon. However, Steve Novella, a neurologist at Yale School of Medicine, believes ASMR likely exists but has yet to be formally recognized. He discusses this on the NeuroLogical Blog:
When exploring phenomena like this, I begin with the fundamental question—is it genuine? While there's no conclusive answer, I lean toward believing it is. Numerous individuals have independently described the same experience with specific details, which is crucial. This mirrors how migraine headaches were recognized—through consistent reports of similar symptoms and patterns from many people.
He suggests that ASMR might involve minor seizures triggered by auditory stimuli. (Some seizures are known to produce pleasurable sensations.) Alternatively, individuals may process pleasure and pain in unique ways, with some experiencing intense full-body responses while others feel less. Novella adds, 'ASMR could simply be a unique activation of the pleasure response... Human brains are diverse, not identical, and vary in countless ways.'
He also calls for further research. Modern brain imaging techniques could reveal the neural activity behind ASMR, helping scientists understand why some people experience 'brain orgasms' when listening to Ira Glass on This American Life or during a salon hair wash.
