ASMR: The Feeling Science Hasn't Explained Yet

[Dr. Cakey]

Interesting...I feel it, sort of. Definitely not to the degree as other people in this thread, but it's there. It's a sort of cool/tingly/???? feeling at the base of my neck. The first video was like a 1, and the second was like a 2 or a 3. I'm not sure what that's a measure of, but whatever it's measuring, it's out of 10. The feeling is very similar to the light touch of fingers.

And speaking of fingers, the ones in that first video are the sexiest fingers I've seen in my life.

I've formed a rough hypothesis as to the origin of the sensation. It comes from sounds like tapping, scraping, whispering in particular, and more besides (I'm thinking of pouring water). I got the idea as I was listening to this second video.

What's the loudest part of a whisper? Mouth movement. The sound many people find creepy, or at least uncomfortable, of the lips and tongue moving. Louder speech obscures this sound. But most mics have a bad habit of picking up and even boosting those sounds, so they're stripped out by keeping your mouth away from the mic.

So it seems like these seemingly different sounds might of tapping, whispering, etc. might have common aural properties. Same frequency? Similar timbre?

I even have a possibility as to what it means. Some people have already said something like this, that it could tie back to...well, not sex or arousal, but intimacy. Of someone talking very close to you.

That's enough of that. My final thoughts are a) this is definitely an amazing sleeping aid, and b) I think it works better for me if the person on the other end isn't doing the ~whatever~ intentionally.

But I will keep this in mind. Actually I'll probably forget all about it, but I'll try to keep it in mind.

 

[goronlink8]

The videos did not do anything for me, but if I am thinking of the right feeling, I can trigger it pretty much at will. Other things can do it for me such as songs, some movie scenes, etc.

 

[Frission]

Huh. I finally have a name for that feeling.

 

[axlryder]

I honestly thought that sensation was normal. It's like the auditory equivalent of having someone run their fingers through your hair or give you a hand massage. Never really thought to put a name on it, but I guess it's natural to label things.

I think the feeling is close to sexual arousal in terms of brain function, but I'd also say it's distinct from it, despite possible potential for overlap. I'd equate it more to cuddling I suppose.

 

[lechat]

snip tumescent.

snip.

props i don't remember the last time i heard tumescence used in a sentence

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

I get the sensation watching Japanese calligraphy and watching Bob Ross paint. Slow deliberate art makes me have this feeling. Not sure why. Its cool i can put a name to the feeling though.

 

[Lynx]

Cool! I didn't get anything out of the video, sadly, BUT I have experienced that pleasant buzz many a times before, and I've learned most of my triggers.

The strangest I have is voices. A certain softness in a voice, not necessarily a whisper (although that helps too), sets off that little oxytocin-like tingle in my neck. I've only met a handful of people who have it. Music can at times do the same thing. I wonder if this thing is related to the hairs on your arm standing up when you hear a perfectly on-key singer.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

I was certainly surprised to find out I wasn't the only one to get these reactions. These days I do follow quite a few ASMR YouTube channels and watch a few videos every night. Incidentally I'm also just an all around audiophile so finding a wealth of videos full of interesting sounds and soundscapes was pretty great.

You too? My personal favourite is the 3d Barber shop. It wasnt intentional but i got great enjoyment from it as ASMR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IXm6SuUigI

Until you used the word audiophile i didnt really know what to call the feeling i get often from interesting soundscapes. I really enjoy them to the point where i re listen many times. Its cool to know its a thing.

 

[lacktheknack]

I.
DONT.
LIKE.
THIS.
HELP.

Is... is there a problem?

You seem stressed.

Maybe you should watch a video or two to help you relax.

<youtube=1xu7iaDT4ew>

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Ah, yes. ASMR.

I know the exact feeling. It's just that I describe my reactions to ASMR as annoyance, boredom and rage at the gullibility of fellow humans. Oh, and I really prefer the actual physical sensations of massage, workout and sex. Some random crazy lady whispering to me and/or tapping her glaringly whore-painted fingernails on a tin just plain doesn't tingle my fancy, sorry.

Maybe it's just me but I tend to crave for real arts, as in someone playing guitar, singing or going wild on a piano. Can tapping sounds like either something I can experience down at the fortune-tellers place or in the looney bin.

 

[lacktheknack]

Ah, yes. ASMR.

I know the exact feeling. It's just that I describe my reactions to ASMR as annoyance, boredom and rage at the gullibility of fellow humans. Oh, and I really prefer the actual physical sensations of massage, workout and sex. Some random crazy lady whispering to me and/or tapping her glaringly whore-painted fingernails on a tin just plain doesn't tingle my fancy, sorry.

Maybe it's just me but I tend to crave for real arts, as in someone playing guitar, singing or going wild on a piano. Can tapping sounds like either something I can experience down at the fortune-tellers place or in the looney bin.

"Gullibility"? Are you sure you know what that word means?

Also, you seem to be mistaking the feeling of ASMR as a sort of "phantom replication" of the involved actions. It's not.

Are you this hostile to everything you don't fully understand, or did an ASMR enthusiast kill your dog?

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

See,

So far, 'ASMR' seems to be mostly experienced by outcasts, shut-ins, confirmed assburgers, otakus, parasaito shingurus and facebook users. As such, this heterogeneous group can be best described as having no proper, real life with its abundance of sensori stimuli, and therefore their existences are bound to be severely lacking in proper human interactions in meatspace. Their sense of touch is mostly wasted on clothing and themselves.

There are but few takes on this in the medium of modern movies, and they all seem to be rooted either in nightmares or proper fear of being locked away in the cranium.[footnote]Being John Malkovich, Strange Days[/footnote]

My thesis is this: By exposing yourself to so-called 'ASMR' stimuli, you put your poor brain in the position of that of a tetraplegic or, say, somebody in a coma. That's just not a nice thing to do to a brain, so the tingling sensation you get is the hippocampus going into overdrive, trying to crawl back into some primeval cave (which isn't there) and the whole brain expressing its discomfort, wanting to jump out and find a new, more caring host. The 'happy' and 'ecstatic' feeling people report to get is either a complete misinterpretation of something that is pretty much akin to the first few neverending moments of an accidental heroin overdose, which also seems to be fun (at first), or it could indeed be a panicking hippocampus vomiting endorphins all over the place.

Even if ASMR could work, I would expect it to be a risky endeavour to actively seek out these 'virtual' pleasures, as the supply of endorphins is finite and abuse would bring along the very same issues MDMA abuse brought with it.

I'll gladly say it again: I, too, felt a tingling sensation, but it was one of genuine embarrassment for the species I was born into. We weren't given these ridiculously large brains to mess with them.

Oh, and, lack: Yes, please do explain your meaning of the word 'gullibility' to me. Discombobulate me with your firm grip on language. There's absolutely no need for you to go all vegan cannibal on me.

 

[lacktheknack]

See,

So far, 'ASMR' seems to be mostly experienced by outcasts, shut-ins, confirmed assburgers, otakus, parasaito shingurus and facebook users. As such, this heterogeneous group can be best described as having no proper, real life with its abundance of sensori stimuli, and therefore their existences are bound to be severely lacking in proper human interactions in meatspace. Their sense of touch is mostly wasted on clothing and themselves.

There are but few takes on this in the medium of modern movies, and they all seem to be rooted either in nightmares or proper fear of being locked away in the cranium.[footnote]Being John Malkovich, Strange Days[/footnote]

My thesis is this: By exposing yourself to so-called 'ASMR' stimuli, you put your poor brain in the position of that of a tetraplegic or, say, somebody in a coma. That's just not a nice thing to do to a brain, so the tingling sensation you get is the hippocampus going into overdrive, trying to crawl back into some primeval cave (which isn't there) and the whole brain expressing its discomfort, wanting to jump out and find a new, more caring host. The 'happy' and 'ecstatic' feeling people report to get is either a complete misinterpretation of something that is pretty much akin to the first few neverending moments of an accidental heroin overdose, which also seems to be fun (at first), or it could indeed be a panicking hippocampus vomiting endorphins all over the place.

Even if ASMR could work, I would expect it to be a risky endeavour to actively seek out these 'virtual' pleasures, as the supply of endorphins is finite and abuse would bring along the very same issues MDMA abuse brought with it.

I'll gladly say it again: I, too, felt a tingling sensation, but it was one of genuine embarrassment for the species I was born into. We weren't given these ridiculously large brains to mess with them.

Oh, and, lack: Yes, please do explain your meaning of the word 'gullibility' to me. Discombobulate me with your firm grip on language. There's absolutely no need for you to go all vegan cannibal on me.

Problem One: Small sample size.

So far, 'ASMR' seems to be mostly experienced by outcasts, shut-ins, confirmed assburgers, otakus, parasaito shingurus and facebook users.

If we remove the eyebrow-raising reference to Facebook users (I'm assuming you mean "people who spend all their time on Facebook"? I don't do that), then I fit none of that. Neither do the other friends I have to enjoy it. So my sample is opposite of your sample. We are at an impasse. Also, I'm a high-physical-contact person, so I single-handedly blew your "their sense of touch is wasted" comment.

Also, you speak with great confidence for someone who pulled their entire "thesis" out of the air. I know you did because, as I mentioned in the OP, there's been next to no research done on the subject. So everything you say on it is speculative, biased, and above all, untested.

So you seem perfectly safe to ignore. It's difficult to take you seriously when you're on the outside looking in and you clearly hate us, but can't clearly give us a reason why we should be hated.

And OK, then, what WERE we given these brains for? What makes YOUR source of pleasure so much better than someone else's? It's not like we're drug-addled dependents who can't live without another "hit". What is so wrong with ASMR that isn't about equally as wrong as, say, playing video games?

Gullible: "Believes new ideas very easily". We don't have to believe this new idea without foundation, for we can feel it very easily. So no, gullible is not an appropriate term.

Also, the personal message you sent me:

Hey,

The folks rooting for you will expect you to defend your case and make a stand. Don't let them down. Please,keep things nice & gentle, though.

Regards,
-head.

If you want me to reply, try actually quoting me in-thread. Thanks.

 

[Chairman Miaow]

These kinds of scratching sounds actually make me feel sick and begin to have a mild form of panic attack. I get the same thing with Styrofoam. It's quite humiliating.