[Science of ASMR]

PhD candidate shares pilot data about ASMR, anxiety, and pain

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Josephine Flockton is a recent graduate from the University of York, England, with a master’s degree in neuroscience and neuroimaging.  She is now pursuing her PhD in cognitive neuroscience.

Her PhD research thesis aims to be the first to explore what happens in the brain during an ASMR experience using the neuroimaging technique of magnetoencephalography (MEG), to further the understanding of ASMR and pain circuits in the brain.

In August, 2020 she launched a pilot survey to support the rationale of her PhD research which will begin October, 2021.  The pilot survey collected data regarding ASMR trigger preferences, frequency of use, and its potential impact on the daily lives of those who experience it, as well as on their anxiety and pain levels.

The pilot survey was granted ethical approval from The University of York Ethics Committee, was created using Qualtrics, and was posted on ASMRUniversity.com and Reddit.com (via a subreddit category for people who enjoy taking surveys and experience ASMR).

Josephine has graciously shared the results from her pilot survey.  Below are the number of respondents, the survey questions, and the survey responses.

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ASMR Project looking for participants with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD)

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Concrete Youth is a theatre company in the UK, providing multi-sensory theatre and education for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD).

Starting today, they are accepting registrations for their ASMR research project from caretakers, and teachers of individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

More details and a registration link follow.

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Participate in a research study about ASMR and the ability to perceive internal and external body cues

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Fatimah Osman is an undergraduate student, pursuing a BSc in Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK.

Her research project is investigating the relationship between ASMR and the ability to perceive internal body stimuli and external body stimuli (aka, interoceptive and/or exteroceptive sensibility).

Fatimah’s faculty supervisor for the study is Dr. Flavia Cardini, Senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University.

Fatimah is looking for participants to take her online survey, which has been reviewed and approved by the School of Psychology and Sport Science Research Ethics Panel (SREP) and Ethics Committee (approval code: PSY-S19-018).

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Participate in a research study about ASMR Videos and Sleep Quality

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Chloe-Anne Devine is an undergraduate student, pursuing a B.Sc. in Psychology at the University of Lincoln in the UK.

Her research thesis is investigating the effect of watching ASMR videos on Sleep Quality

Chloe-Anne’s faculty advisor for the study is Dr. Simon Durrant, Senior Lecturer at the University of Lincoln.

Chloe-Anne is looking for participants to take her online survey, which has been reviewed and approved by an Ethics Committee (Ethics Approval Code PSY20211084).

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Participate in a research study about ASMR videos as self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Matt Frank is a graduate student, pursuing an M.A. in media studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.

His research thesis is investigating the experiences and motivations of watching ASMR videos as a form of self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

His thesis is tentatively titled: “Notions of ASMR in Quarantine: Affect, Self-care, and Healthcare”, and his faculty advisor is Dr. Elizabeth Ellcessor, Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia.

As part of his thesis study, Matt is looking for participants for his virtual focus group, which has been reviewed and approved by an Ethics Committee (IRB-SBS #3160).

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Participate in a research study about ASMR stimuli and effects on mental health

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Participate in a dissertation research study dedicated to understanding the effects of ASMR stimuli for potential clinical application for mental health problems.

Phoebe Leech is an undergraduate Psychology student at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, England.

Her dissertation is titled: “An Investigation into ASMR Stimuli and Their Effects on Common Mental Health Problems” and is being supervised by Dr. Adam Qureshi.

Phoebe is looking for participants to take her online survey, which has been reviewed and approved by an Ethics Committee.

The survey is open to English-speaking individuals above the age of 18. You do not need to have experience with ASMR, anyone is welcome to participate.

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Undergraduate student completes research dissertation about ASMR and mood

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Georgina Susan Pamela Terzza has recently completed her  BSc in Psychology at the University of Lincoln, England.  She is now pursuing her MSc in Clinical Psychology at the Royal Holloway University of London, England.

For her Bachelor’s Dissertation,  supervised by Dr. Andy Benn, she completed a research project titled, “The effects and benefits of ASMR stimuli on mood.”

For her project, 37 participants (with and without experience watching ASMR videos) watched ASMR videos and completed a survey about their mood.   She found that ASMR videos had a positive effect on mood, and this was independent of prior experience with ASMR videos.

In my interview with Georgina, she provides helpful explanations of her inspiration, goals, methods, findings, interesting moments, and very useful tips for other students researching ASMR.

Below are my questions in bold, her replies in italics, and a link so you can learn more about her.

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ASMR Research needs your support

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It is likely that ASMR has health benefits for people struggling with stress, poor sleep, low moods, and other conditions.

Perhaps you have benefited from ASMR and wonder why more health professionals aren’t advocating ASMR to their clients and patients?

The answer is simple.  Health professionals are waiting for more research studies about ASMR to be published and you can help.  Even though you may not be a researcher, you can help to accelerate ASMR research by supporting it.

You may have heard that ASMR can reduce your heart rate.  This groundbreaking research was done by Dr. Giulia Poerio and her team at the University of Essex, UK – providing the first direct physiological evidence of the relaxing effects of ASMR.

Now, Dr. Poerio and her team want to establish an  ASMR network of scientists, experts, and the ASMR community.  This project will create a prioritized list of ASMR research questions that will drive future core research about the biology and health effects of ASMR.

Establishing this ASMR Network does require a small foundation of financial support to get it going, and you can help.

Ready to help? Jump right to this site to learn more, watch a video from Dr. Poerio, and/or donate:  https://crowd.science/campaigns/asmrnet-establishing-a-global-research-network-and-prioritised-agenda-for-asmr/

Or, keep reading for a personal message from Dr. Poerio.

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Participate in a research study about ASMR and emotional, sensory, and perceptual experiences

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Angelica Succi is a post-graduate Erasmus trainee at the University of Essex (UK), Department of Psychology.

She is investigating the correlations between emotional experiences, sensory sensitivity, perception, and ASMR.

Her research project is titled: “Physiological and self-reported correlates of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)”.

Angelica’s advisors for the study are Dr. Helge Gillmeister and Dr Giulia Poerio.  Dr Poerio published the first heart rate study about ASMR in 2018.

Angelica is looking for participants to take her online survey, which has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Essex.

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Participate in a pilot research survey about ASMR, anxiety, and pain

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Josephine Flockton is a master’s graduate, specializing in neuroscience and neuroimaging from the University of York, England, and is pursuing a PhD in cognitive neuroscience.

This survey will gather invaluable pilot data about individuals’ experiences of ASMR and its potential therapeutic benefits, to support the rationale of her PhD research and invite further study.

Her PhD research thesis aims to be the first to explore what happens in the brain during an ASMR experience using the neuroimaging technique of magnetoencephalography (MEG), to further our understanding of the phenomenon and its relation to pain circuits in the brain.

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