By Raymond Tran

Addendum Editor

  Autonomous sensory meridian response, also known as ASMR, has recently been coming into the public eye through social media. ASMR, in layman terms, are tingles or static-like sensations that run through one’s head and back in response to certain sights and sounds.

  There have been over 13 million videos created and posted on Youtube under ASMR, reported Science Daily. Although ASMR is the term used to describe the sensation of the “tingles”, it has also been used as an umbrella term for the videos attempting to elicit such a feeling. These videos include playing with slime/foam, roleplaying, tapping, whispering, and eating.

  Many ASMR content creators, known to their audience as ASMRists, have been creating videos for several years; however, this concept has just been discovered by many people. As many slime and foam videos have been trending on Instagram and popping up on explore pages, it has been receiving more publicity than ever. The virality of this trend has snowballed, increasing the audience pool simply by people talking about the concept.

  “Many people [were talking] about it,” junior Raquel Chavez stated, “so I wanted to see what it was.”

  Certain ASMRists have even been on Youtube’s top 50 trending, such as ASMR Darling. Her video “Struggles of Listening to ASMR” was her first to reach the trending list. Still, many listeners feel like there’s a stigma that surrounds ASMR and are hesitant to admit that they listen.

  “I feel like a lot of people think it’s weird and judge before actually watching it and giving it a try,” Chavez said.

  Nevertheless, it is no secret that more and more people have subjected themselves to listening to this unique style of relaxation. Even larger corporates such as CollegeHumor and Women’s Magazine have used ASMR in their videos to draw in a larger audience.

  As ASMR has increased its popularity, many question the real motivation behind this uncommon concept. Creators, like Maria of Gentle Whispers ASMR, have received hate, facing criticism stating that their videos are carnal. However, this has been proven to be false.

  According to a survey conducted by the Smithsonian, “a sizable majority sought out ASMR videos on YouTube to help them sleep and to deal with stress.”

  Many scientists have ignored the concept of ASMR; however, since the rise of its popularity, researchers have been trying to solve the mystery of the tingles. Stephen Smith, a psychology professor at the University of Winnipeg, discovered that areas of the brain are stimulated more than usual during ASMR; some may not feel ASMR because each person has a unique brain networking system.

  “But mainly,” said Smith, “it’s just cool.”