Jellybean Green has her Bachelor of Arts degree in performance with a minor in creative writing.

She is a freelance writer, nursing student, and mother living in the United States.

JellyBean Green is also an ASMR artist who creates videos for her YouTube channel, JellyBean Green ASMR.

Jellybean Green shares her insight for what makes a good ASMR artist, beautifully articulates a potential misconception about ASMR artists, envisions a thoughtful demonstration that would definitely motivate more clinicians and researcher to investigate the potential of ASMR, and more.

Below are my questions in bold followed by her replies in italics.

What is your definition of ASMR?

JB Green, “It is a unique comfort response, most often manifesting as a pleasant tingling sensation and a general sense of well-being, triggered by various types of stimuli such as relaxing sounds, soft speaking, and personal attention.”

How would you describe your ASMR sensations?

JB Green, “When I experience ASMR tingles, they always travel down the back of my head, and then skip straight down to the top of my left thigh. I will occasionally experience tingles in other parts of my limbs, but always more strongly on my left side.”

What do you think makes a good ASMR artist?

JB Green, “I think that sincerity is the most important quality an ASMR artist can possess.

Most viewers are watching ASMR videos from a place of vulnerability; we watch ASMR videos for a sense of comfort or affirmation, and often we have more of a need to trust ASMR artists than we would just about any other type of video creator.

Sincerity can express itself in a lot of different ways—from the appearance of genuine concern for a viewer to a content creator’s simple confidence in their own unique aesthetic—but regardless of how it appears, it’s a wonderful thing to see in an artist.”

What do you think are some common misconceptions about ASMR artists?

JB Green, “I imagine that many people see us as more polished and self-assured than most of us actually are.

When I first started making videos, I remember looking at certain content creators’ high subscriber counts, and thinking what confidence that must inspire in them. Now, as blessed as I feel to get the volume of positive feedback that I do, I also understand that confidence can have an inverse relationship to external affirmation: the more highly people think of you, the greater the chance to let them down.

As a content creator, I definitely struggle with a bit of “imposter syndrome”, and I suspect I’m not the only one.”

I like that you include the following statement on all your videos, why have you decided to do this?

[“ASMR is awesome, but it’s not a substitute for professional care. If you have mental or emotional health concerns, please see a mental health professional. If the first person you speak to isn’t a match, keep looking! You deserve good health.”]

JB Green, “Many people who watch ASMR videos watch them to help deal with serious issues like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. While everyone needs to find their own personal path to health, I do believe that professional help should be explored thoroughly.

As someone who has experienced the frustration of not connecting with therapist after therapist, I know how demoralizing it can be. Those of us who struggle with depression tend to have a low sense of self-worth and because of that it can be very easy for us to give up rather than be firm advocates for our own health.

I want to remind people that they deserve to feel better, the same way I have to remind myself sometimes.”

What do you see as the similarities and differences between being a nurse and being an ASMR artist?

JB Green, “Well, I believe that they’re similar in the sense that both tend to attract people who have a great interest in actively helping others.

However, nursing is much more of a science that depends on discipline and knowledge, and ASMR content creation (as we know it now) is more of an art that depends on aesthetics and intuition.”

How has your understanding of ASMR changed over time?

JB Green, “Over time, I’ve developed an awareness of how a phenomenon that’s as ambiguous in nature as ASMR can have equal potential for either community or dissonance.

ASMR videos attract an audience that is extremely diverse—more so, I believe, than the vast majority of common interest topics—and yet many people tend to be very protective of their own personal experience or definition of ASMR.

Browsing through different public comments and conversations, I’ve seen a lot of frustration and hurt feelings over precisely what ASMR “should be”. I think this is a big part of why some people see a growth in awareness about ASMR as a double-edged sword.

As awareness spreads, ASMR videos are helping more and more people, but as we add all of these diverse personal experiences to the pool of the greater ASMR narrative, the already-vague definition of ASMR becomes even more amorphous.”

Do you have any charities that you are passionate about and would encourage others to support?

JB Green, “Yes, definitely. The first one is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/), they are dedicated to doing their best to understand and treat childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

The second one is the American Widow Project (http://americanwidowproject.org/), they provide helpful support to military widows, providing tools and programs for much needed assistance.

These are two charities I strongly support and I also encourage others to.”

What are your thoughts about the value of ASMR research?

JB Green, “I’d like to see ASMR given the legitimacy of being measurable in some way. I think that achieving this would open a lot of doors to both exploring therapeutic applications for ASMR and to validating the ASMR experience in public conversations.”

How do you think researchers and scientists could be better motivated to become involved in ASMR research?

JB Green, “I think the growing popularity of the phenomenon speaks for itself, and it’s just a matter of getting that message heard. Right now I’m envisioning a Miracle on 34th Street-inspired stunt where I summon in a long parade of assistants to dump mail sacks filled with hundreds of thousands of printed comments collected from ASMR YouTube videos onto the researchers’ desks.”

Click HERE to experience Jellybean Green’s ASMR videos.

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