Strange feeling sparks a YouTube sensation

Have you ever felt a light tingle shiver through your body from the tip of your head and down through your spine? If you’ve experienced it, the sensation may seem random—a reaction without a noticeable cause or pattern. For those who have developed a greater awareness of this physical phenomenon—known as ASMR—there’s a growing community dedicated to helping people reproduce these feelings.

ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is a sensation that often occurs first during childhood. Generally discovered by accident, ASMR can be a very calming experience produced by a variety of audio and visual stimuli commonly known as triggers. If you’re having trouble understanding what this means, imagine the clicking sound of fingers on a keyboard. How about the distinct yet soft sounds produced by flipping through the pages of a magazine. Do any of these sounds trigger a reaction? Perhaps hearing them simply produces feelings of calm. These are examples of triggers that have been effectively delivered in videos and used by people to make them relax.

ASMR content creators, also known as Asmrtists, create ASMR videos with either a single trigger or a combination of multiple sounds or actions, such as hand movements. A common trigger, found in most ASMR videos is whispering or soft-speaking because of the mood it creates. Everyone has their own personal triggers, so experimenting with multiple videos is a good way to find what can set off your ASMR.

Max Percy, 21, discovered ASMR by chance when his babysitter introduced him to Bob Ross videos. Ross is known for his soothing narration while teaching people to paint. At the time Percy, didn’t know that he was experiencing ASMR, but now he’s rediscovered it through videos developed for YouTube. Percy likes to listen to ASMR videos as background for when he is gaming.

“Normally I use it to relax when I’m playing a game that doesn’t have much in-game sound,” he said. “I’ll just listen to that and relax. It’s awesome.” Percy’s favourite triggers are the sound of scissors snipping and the variety of soft sounds created during role-plays.

When it comes to the ASMR community, there are as many different kinds of triggers as there are Asmrtists to recreate them.

Justin M, 25, is an Asmrtist known as FatFr33Pudding who makes ASMR videos for YouTube. He does this part-time while attending college. ASMR has had a positive impact in his life and he wants to share his experience with others.

“I’m hoping to pave a way in the ASMR community,” said M. “Help invigorate it and help shine a light on the benefits of what we as content creators can provide.”

M has been experiencing ASMR since he was young, usually using it to help him focus while doing school work. He thinks that ASMR helps people in many different ways, even if they don’t experience the tingle effect normally associated with it. According to M, ASMR can help with relaxation, anxiety control, insomnia and de-stressing after a long day.

“Other things I’ve heard from people in the community are relief from headaches to re-living childhood memories of experiencing ASMR,” he said.

The ASMR community is ever-growing with new videos and Asmrtists surfacing regularly. With such a large variety of content, chances are anyone can find something that gives them the shivers.