Are you counted among the more than 18 million viewers of ASMR video content? Curious but don't know what it is? You're not alone.
ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, refers to a sensation that some people experience when they watch a video or listen to someone speak in a low voice. It's the tingling you might feel when you get your hair cut or watch Bob Ross paint landscapes on his show The Joy of Painting. It results from our brain's sensory neurons being triggered by external stimuli - in this case particular sounds and sights - that we perceive as being nurturing and caring.
It's not clear. The term was coined in 2010 by a 15-year-old Twitter user who goes by the name of Emma, who describes how her brain tingles when someone else whispers in her ear. She then took to the website Reddit, where she received thousands of requests from people who said they experienced a sensation similar to her own.
Since 2007, there have been 200,000 YouTube videos created that feature ASMR videos and people describing their experience. Many feature young women with an ASMR tingling response to touching and brushing hair.
ASMR is attracting millions of viewers because it's bringing something that people want: trust, connection and comfort. It's also a relatively benign niche, unlike some YouTube conspiracy theories, such as the make-believe assassination of George W. Bush and the death of Osama bin Laden in film documentaries.
Some people argue that ASMR videos can be viewed as just another kink or fetish. But many people, who experience ASMR tingles at least once a week and are often referred to as "ASMRtists", see themselves as bringing comfort to those with similar experiences or who simply like the videos but don't have any tingling sensation themselves.
Finally, if you want to experience ASMR for yourself, you can do so with an app that triggers tingles in your brain.
