Have you ever been watching a movie, witnessed a moving scene and were immediately filled with a rush of tingles or vibrations through your body? Have you ever felt this while being whispered to by a lover? Not a sexual feeling mind you, but a feeling of calm wash over your body. Or maybe even an urge of some strong emotion or euphoria?
What I speak of is called ASMR or Autonomous sensory meridian response. This is when certain stimuli trigger a feeling of euphoria in your body. It can feel like a tingling sensation that travels down your neck, or a shudder or chill that goes through your core.
For me ASMR is triggered by strong scenes of emotion in film, such as King Theoden's speech in Return of the King, the Battle of Cowpens in The Patriot, or the scene in the television show Dragon Ball Z when a character becomes stronger with a burst of energy.
Each instance showered me with a strong emotional response. But what causes it?
Frankly, not much is known about this phenomenon that has only really been a talking point in the public eye for about six years.
Most people describe having felt this sensation since childhood from varying stimuli but had no name for it.
Some stimuli include, listening to soft spoken speech, hand movements, certain sounds (crinkling, crunching or scratching) and being in close proximity to other people in conjunction with these. For example many ASMR Roleplayers on sites such as YouTube describe getting haircuts, doctor and dental visits, as well as personal attention from a significant other as being stimulating experiences.
ASMR Videos have grown in number substantially over the past four years as new content creators seek to help viewers with stress, anxiety, and depression. By creating soothing, softspoken ASMR tingle inducing videos, that calm and relax the listener.
I've been listening to these types of videos for years and they always help me in reducing my stress and unwinding.
If you're interested in viewing some ASMR videos here are some of my recomendations -
GentleWhispering
MassageASMR
HeatherFeatherASMR
As Always
Keep reading. Keep learning.
This is really interesting. I'm wondering if this is all the same phenomenon, though. Is the chill you get during an emotional movie scene really the same as the tingling you feel from all those other stimuli?
ReplyDeleteI ask because the chills seem common and I've heard countless people mention them throughout my life. But I've never heard anyone else mention the ASMR tingly stuff until now. I've had that going on my whole life. I distinctly remember the first time it happened. And holy shit, that whispering video is exactly it!
Most of these experiences from the videos give me a completely different feeling. One of extreme unease. Not sure what to think about that.
ReplyDelete