Author: Dr. Richard

Research group at The University of Sheffield investigating the characteristics of ASMR

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Giulia Poerio, Theresa Veltri, Emma Blakey, and Tom Hostler are graduate students in the Department of Psychology at The University of Sheffield in the U.K.

They have combined their expertise in psychology, physiology, and emotion to investigate the idiosyncratic characteristics of ASMR.

The research group shares their motivations and several unanticipated challenges and reactions that have occurred thus far with their project.

Below are my questions in bold, followed by their replies in italics.

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ASMR videos: relaxing or creepy?

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The term “creepy” is often used by individuals to describe ASMR videos which they find disturbing.

This is curious to me.

Why is it that two individuals can watch the same video and one person feels relaxed by it and the other person feels creeped out by it?

And why is the word “creepy” so often used but never the word “frightening”?

There must be something common to a relaxing situation and to a creepy situation that is not common to a frightening situation.

And there is.

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Wooster College student researching the effects of ASMR on social cognition

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Amy Huffenberger is an undergraduate student in the Neuroscience department at Wooster College in Wooster, Ohio.

She is doing her senior thesis project on ASMR, under the guidance of Professor Grit Herzmann Ph.D.

Amy shares her motivations, research objectives and challenges, and also offers insightful suggestions to future ASMR researchers.

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

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Is ASMR a sensation of love?

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There are many ways to define and describe love.

So I will put forth one possible description just for the sake of this post:

Love is comfort and safety, it is a warm feeling that spreads throughout your body, it is happiness always and euphoria sometimes, it is trust, it is focus, and ultimately it is a state of bliss and relaxation.

That sure sounds a lot like ASMR.

Trying to scientifically define and explain ASMR is a big challenge today.  Trying to scientifically define and explain love has been a big challenge throughout the ages.

But there is at least one dedicated scientist that tried to understand love through experiments, and he was ridiculed for attempting it.

Yet his research findings are considered some of the most important studies ever done, and may help to understand ASMR.

His name was Harry Harlow.

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A primatologist shares her thoughts about the potential biology of ASMR

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Dr. Amanda Dettmer has her Ph.D. in neuroscience and behavior.

She has been studying the mother-infant bond in rhesus monkeys for over 10 years.

I asked Dr. Dettmer some questions about animal behavior and ASMR.

She did a terrific job of summarizing her knowledge, experiences, and research in primatology and applying it to ASMR.

Dr. Dettmer even suggests some simple experiments that could help to identify the biology of ASMR.

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

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ASMR research and music therapy research

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Relaxing music and ASMR triggers have their similarities and their differences.

Similarities include: both can induce relaxation, both have strong auditory component, and both can induce a type of chills or tingles.

Differences include: music is almost all auditory (vibrations can be another sensory input method), the type of chills induced are slightly different, and music may have a stronger emotional component.

And then there is the biggest difference of them all.

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Update: Can the light from an ASMR video interfere with sleep?

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Update:

A research study came out this week that is relevant to one of my prior posts (pasted in below).

This research supports the concern that the light from an electronic device can interfere with sleep.

The study is published in PNAS, a well respected journal.

The authors showed that reading from an iPad (compared to a printed book) increased the time it took to fall asleep, reduced melatonin secretion, and reduced morning alertness.

Click HERE to access the research abstract.

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The science of ASMR from a BBC article

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An article about ASMR was posted yesterday at BBC.com.

The article focuses mostly on ASMR artists (Emma whispersredasmr, Maria gentlewhispering, & Laura Stone) and the art of ASMR, with some minor mentions related to the science of ASMR.

A neuroscience professor provided his thoughts about the mechanism of ASMR.  Quote from the article:

“Frances McGlone, professor of neuroscience at Liverpool John Moores University. I contacted him because I hoped he might be able to explain the mechanism which produces such a distinctive physical reaction from such a diverse range of stimuli. He couldn’t, because no-one has researched the question. “In a quick look on the more respected search engines for published scientific research I couldn’t find anything that supported a neurobiological basis for why these sensory experiences should be provoked by observing these ASMR videos,” he tells me.

McGlone further expressed concern about home-brewed alternative therapies in general and a potential erotic element of ASMR.  Quote from the article:

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