History of ASMR

Welcome to a History of ASMR

There are two ways to enjoy the History of ASMR, you can listen to it or read about it.

Audio History: Clicks the links below to listen to an audio history of ASMR.  You can also listen to all of these audio files by subscribing to the ASMR University Podcast.

Written History: Scroll down to read a written history of ASMR.

  • The short version is presented first.  It is a condensed document of just the facts – great for those who want a quick overview.
  • The long version is presented second.  It is an expanded document with quotes, and some additional information – great for those who want to delve more into the history of ASMR.
  • References and resources are included at the end.
  • Note #1: The term “ASMR” was not coined until 2010 but important events preceding 2010 are still included in the “History of ASMR.”
  • Note #2: This is not a complete history of course, just a timeline of some key events.  I consider this a work in progress and will continue to expand it.

Special Section:

  • Click HERE to see the curated list of the first ASMR Artists (AKA “The Whisperers”) who existed on YouTube from 2009 – 2012.

                                                                     * * * * *

History of ASMR – short version

2007

  • 10-29-07 ‘Weird sensation feels good’ forum thread started by okaywhatever at steadyhealth.com.
    • Click HERE to listen to a podcast episode about how this forum thread led to the birth of the ASMR community

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

  • 7-8-14 Julie Young announces she will be co-authoring a book about ASMR with Ilse Blansert. Published in 2015.
  • 11-9-14: The first fully whispered podcast for relaxation is launched, ASMR Sleep Station.

2015

2016

2017

* * * * *

History of ASMR – long version

2007

  • 10-29-07 Weird sensation feels good forum thread started by okaywhatever at steadyhealth.com.
    • First post: okaywhatever, “i get this sensation sometimes. theres no real trigger for it. it just happenes randomly. its been happening since i was a kid and i’m 21 now. some examples of what it seems has caused it to happen before are as a child while watching a puppet show and when i was being read a story to. as a teenager when a classmate did me a favor and when a friend drew on the palm of my hand with markers. sometimes it happens for no reason at all that i can tell, though. i’ll just be sitting or whatever doing whatever and it happens. its like in my head and all over my body. if i get an itch when i’m experiencing the sensation i won’t scratch it cause the itch helps intensify it. i also like to trace my fingers along my skin because it feels good when experiencing the sensation. sometimes my eyes will water. when the sensation is over i will sometimes feel nauseous, but not that bad. just a slight hint of nausea. what is it?? i’m not complaining cause i love it, but i’m just wondering what it might be… help.”.
    • The first reply was by bean487, “I think I know what you may be talking about. I was looking for an answer to a similar question when I found your post.  Since I was a child I got this strange sensation in my head. It happens to me, I discovered, when certain people talk, especially when they talk slowly, or when people move slowly, or when even sometimes someone is driving slowly. It seems to happen more around older people who seem to have few cares. I love the feeling, but I have not found anyone else who has experienced it. It is like this tingling in my scalp. The only way I can discribe it is like a silvery sparkle through my head and brain… almost like a sort of head orgasm, but there is nothing sexual about it. I’ve found I can have that feeling when listening to guided meditation tapes and I have trained myself to let it happen more, though I find I have to take breaks between voices because they lose the ability to give me the feeling after a while. What is this? Is this the same feeling you were describing?”
    • *Click HERE to listen to a podcast episode about how this forum thread led to the birth of the ASMR community.*

2008

  • 6-4-08 Attention Induced Head Orgasm (AIHO) coined by tingler (in Weird Sensations Feels Good thread at steadyhealth.com)
    • Post by tingler, “Hi All, I have had this “Attention Induced Head Orgasm” (AIHO) for as long as I can remember. I got it once really good when I was getting knobbed but I think it was the attention that mattered not the sexual stuff. I think I get his when someone is paying direct attention to me. I have not noticed a correlation with it being from older people, but come to think of it I do not think it has ever happened from being around a kid…”
  • ?-?-08 AIHO.org launched
    • Low membership and activity.  Shut down in 2010.
  • 12-12-08 Society of Sensationalists formed as a Yahoo! group by Ryan, “AKA M?stery”.
    • Group Description: “This group is being formed in hopes of finding people who experience the same sensation. All we have right now are questions and we need answers. We need help, not in the sense that we want to solve or cure this sensation but rather instead to learn what causes this and whatever else may be concerning to us.”
    • First post: Bob Speakman, “I’m excited to be here.. Hopefully we can get some answers! I really want to know the “how” more than anything else. What is it that makes this reaction happen? Chemicial, mental, etc?”
    • Second post: brandedmusic66, “that pretty much the dealio with me too. obviously ALL of us that experience this know pretty much EXACTLY what causes it. The only reason all this started was because it happened the other night and my old school teacher was online so i brought it to his attention and he led me to the steadyhealth website. now that i know there are others so many questions need to be answered lol. i wonder if there are doctors that can do tests on our brains. but it wouldnt just stop there. we would also need psychologists as well. there are many things that need to be discovered here. i hope this advances from here on out!”

2009

  • 3-26-09 First whisper channel on YouTube created: WhisperingLife,
    • First video: “Whisper 1-Hello!”
      • Description of first video, “I know this might sound really weird to some, but i love hearing people whisper! So i though i would make a whispering channel. No haters please. If you don’t like it then get off my channel…simple as 🙂 For those of you who love to hear people whisper too…i hope you like my whispers!! xx”
      • First viewer posting: gabe quihuis, “your awesome, i will be checking for new stuff from you as often as i can, keep it up you will get followers”
      • Second viewer posting: KevL75, “I don’t know about ‘fetish’.  I don’t find it sexual at all!  I think it’s a maternal thing. I’ve got a massive playlist that I put on at night and I’ve never stayed awake to hear it all the way through.”
    • From the About section, WhisperingLife, “It still amazes me just how many people love whispering. Looking back to 2009 when i made the first channel dedicated to whispering i would have never thought it would become so huge! It’s fantastic.”
    • Article: Interview with WhisperingLife
    • Audio: About WhisperingLife, the first ASMR artist
    • Audio: Interview with WhisperingLife

* * * What whisper/ASMR-type videos existed BEFORE WhisperingLife created the first whisper channel? * * *

ASMR subreddit member ‘Actually_Hate_Reddit’ explained common video sources in the earlier days;

“…Back before 2008-ish if you wanted to feel ASMR there was no one place to look since no one was doing it on purpose. We watched Let’s Plays, we watched unboxing videos, we watched vlogs, makeup tutorials, bob ross, bob ross parodies once his estate took the show off youtube (a constant battle,) technical tutorials, clips from shows, whatever scraps we could find…” [excerpt]

ASMR subreddit member hypoxyzal provided links to three early whisper videos;

More early sources of ASMR-inducing videos:

<<<Click HERE to listen to a podcast episode about these early ASMR-type videos>>>

 

* * * How many whisper/ASMR-type video channels soon existed AFTER WhisperingLife created the first whisper channel? * * *

2009: at least 13 new ASMR channels created.
2010: at least 38 new ASMR channels created.
2011: at least 60 new ASMR channels created.
2012: at least 72 new ASMR channels created.

Click HERE to see the detailed list of Early ASMR Artists who existed on YouTube from 2009 – 2012.

***How many ASMR channels and ASMR videos exist today?***

2020: about 1.5 million ASMR channels & about 60 million ASMR videos

The above number of ASMR channels was acquired by entering the following string into Google: asmr site:https://www.youtube.com/channel

The above number of ASMR videos was acquired by entering the following string into Google: asmr site:https://www.youtube.com/

(Note: Please contact Dr Richard if you know a more accurate method for finding the current number of ASMR channels and videos.)

2010

  • 2-13-10 The Unnamed Feeling blog started by Andrew MacMuiris
    • Andrew’s first post, “Welcome to The Unnamed Feeling, AKA the Tingling Blog.  Yes, The Unnamed Feeling was inspired by Metallica’s single from their album, St. Anger, called “The Unnamed Feeling”. But it only has a little to do with music. This blog is going to become a destination for a sensation that is seemingly unnamed.  Have you ever listened to someone talk or something and you get this tingling sensation in your head? That’s what this blog is about. I’ve come across some places where you can learn a little more about this sensation. Trying to search for this on the internet is difficult, but there are some places, albeit in limited number. [links to Weird Sensation Feels Good forum thread and Society of Sensationalists group] Right now I’m in the process of setting up the blog, and I’ll get round to posting more, including some sound clips and videos where you can see if you experience this feeling. It’s nearly indescribable, but an incredibly good sensation.”
  • 2-19-10 Attention Induced Observant Euphoria coined by Andrew MacMuiris
    • Andrew’s post, “What Could These Tingles Be? Some people wrongly assume this is what you call heebie-jeebies, chills, or shivers up the spine, but this is not that sensation at all. Those names are associated with fear or anxiety. Some might say it’s pins and needles. Pins and needles is a tingling sensation, but occurs when a limb is recovering from numbness, and may even be slightly painful and discomforting. Tingles have been said by some to be as good as or even better than an orgasm. Some people even have both at the same time! Tingles can fade in and out, or can be a more constant feeling all over the cranium. Another informal forum term referring to tingles is AIHO, or Attention Induced Head Orgasm, which I actually read in a forum thread. Some do not associate it with sex though, and might prefer others terms like AIE, or Attention Induced Euphoria. Others could be AIOEU, Attention Induced Observant Euphoria (notice how it incorporates all the vowels). People are constantly thinking of new ones.”
  • 2-?-10 Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response coined by Jennifer Allen (AKA Envelope Nomia).
    • Audio: About Jennifer Allen
    • Audio: Interview with Jennifer Allen (part 1)
    • Audio: Interview with Jennifer Allen (part 2)
    • She explained the following in a 2016 interview,
      • “After reading the comments of others, I realized people would never be able to open up about what they were experiencing unless it could be discussed in a way that was objective, not tied to emotional or deeply personal terminology, and not suggesting aspects that were not in line with their personal experience.  People perceive the meaning of words differently, and a phrase that uses words tied to sexual or taboo activity, or words that have no immediate apparent connection to the topic tend to cause people to form opinions about the validity or intent of the subject at hand.  I knew with something as difficult to describe and as sensitive for people to open up about as ASMR that we would need something that objectively and definitively named the sensation.  Using a “clinical” word was the best option to improve how the burgeoning community would feel about using and telling others about the word.  Critics like to call the term pseudoscientific, but I contend that in this climate of abject skepticism and immediate gratification for knowledge anything less formal or explicit would have failed to meet the needs in this very unique social circumstance. The name was what it had to be to help the community survive, and that was my mission…I would love to take a moment to explain a bit of misinformation on the current Wikipedia article.  I never mistook the word meridian for orgasm. I wanted to use a word that would *replace* the word orgasm, and referenced the dictionary definition, for which entries included the noun form, “a point or period of highest development, greatest prosperity, or the like.”, and the adjective form, “of or indicating a period of greatest prosperity, splendor, success, etc.”, as indicated by Dictionary.com.  So thank you very much, but no, I did not at any point confuse ‘meridian’ for ‘orgasm’. Quite the opposite, I knew very well ‘meridian’ was not ‘orgasm’, and that was quite the point.”
      • She explained the following in a 2012 interview,
        • “Autonomous” refers to the “individualistic nature of the triggers, and the capacity in many to facilitate or completely create the sensation at will,” Jenn told me in an email. “Sensory” and “response” are fairly obvious, and “meridian,” Jenn said, is a more polite term for “orgasm.” In any case, it certainly sounds official—as Jenn said, “Try explaining why you want money to study ‘goose looping’ or ‘brain orgasms.’”
  • 2-25-10 Facebook-ASMR Group formed by Jennifer Allen
    • Description begins, “The original community group for ASMR experiencers and supporters. Started Feb. 25th, 2010, this group began to help people collaborate on what was tentatively being termed ‘Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response’. Since then, thousands of people have connected and communicated what was once an unnamed and rarely discussed or shared phenomenon of the human experience. Since the inception of this group and the sister website, http://www.asmr-research.org, thousands of people on every continent (except Antarctica, still no confirmed resident tinglers on the ice) have met each other, shared their secret, their triggers, and their ideas. This group welcomes anyone who is interested in sharing the experience, or for those who do not but are curious to learn more or support another. Welcome!”
  • 6-16-10 ASMR Research & Support website launched by Jennifer Allen (site currently down)
    • Members listed on Facebook page: Jennifer Allen (AKA Envelope Nomia), Andrew MacMuiris (Africa),  Domagoj Bodlaj (Europe), Torsten Wiedemann (Australia)
    • Blog post about formation of research group, JUNE 21, 2010, “The First ASMR Group Meeting.  Well, it was hectic, but it was done in the end. This past Saturday and Sunday, the ASMR Group’s core team members, including Envelope, Ryan, Adam, Michela, Domagoj, and I, had the very first meeting centred around ASMR.  The first four people listed above were present in the first meeting, which I missed due to issues with Skype (particularly the online install method, which I later fixed), and the second meeting had Domagoj and I included in it. Chaz was absent from both, sadly.  Seeing as the meeting was top secret and the minutes and agenda and so on are for the research team only (password protected too – nifty.), I can’t really go and spill the beans on what was said.” [truncated]

2011

  • 2-27-11 First Reddit thread about ASMR posted by Mahi-Mahi on the This I Learned subreddit.
    • Mahi-Mahi titled the thread with, “TIL about ASMR, aka “that unnamed feeling” or “head orgasms”. So, who else here has this?” [linked to http://www.asmr-research.org]
    • First comment by Mahi-Mahi, “Ever since I can remember I’ve gotten this tingling sensation (can be triggered by an array of things, like people playing in my hair, or ambient sounds in a mostly silent setting). I only just found out not everyone gets that!”
    • First reply by Mob_Of_One, “I FINALLY KNOW WHAT IT’S CALLED!  It get it triggered by trance music, 3 or 4 female voices I’ve heard before, haircuts depending on how good the stylist is / people playing with my hair, and a few other things. Sweet. I can finally explain it in a cogent manner.”
  • 2-28-11 ASMR subreddit created by MrStonedOne
    • First thread by MrStonedOne titled, “The research and support site for ASMR” [linked to http://www.asmr-research.org]
    • First comment by MrStonedOne, “Hopefully this can become an active community, like the forum there or the Facebook page :)”
  • 4-17-11 whisperhub.co.uk, the first website dedicated to ASMR videos is registered by Sue Dorrens.  Website launches several months later and continues until the domain is non-renewed in 2015.  Sue currently runs the I Love ASMR Facebook page.
  • 6-?-11 ASMR Facebook page created by Jennifer Allen
  • 7-?-11 ASMR Wikipedia page created initially by unknown, Jennifer Allen expands majority of content, Wikipedia deletes page 2 months later, Wikipedia reinstates page in 2013.
    • 7-18-11 Blog post about creation of Wikipedia page, “ASMR is now on Wikipedia. I was kind of shocked to see this yesterday evening when I was online. I happened to be over on the ASMR Facebook Group, when I read a post on the wall. It appears that at some point recently, a page dedicated to ASMR was put up on Wikipedia.” [truncated]
    • 9-19-11 Blog post about threatened removal of page, “Help Save the ASMR Wikipedia Page!  I went over to the ASMR Wikipedia page the other day and noticed that there is a notice on top of the page stating that the article is facing deletion: “This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedia’s deletion policy.  Please share your thoughts on the matter at this article’s entry on the Articles for deletion page. Feel free to edit the article, but the article must not be blanked, and this notice must not be removed, until the discussion is closed. For more information, particularly on merging or moving the article during the discussion, read the Guide to deletion.”I hate to admit it, but I knew that this would happen sooner or later. Call me cynical, but it’s why I didn’t start the page myself, despite urging from the community, because I was aware that Wikipedia and its administrators would eventually shut it down. Looking under the discussion page at recent arguments, reasons why it’s being considered for deletion include that there’s no scientific evidence that this is a “real” condition of any sort, and there’s no satisfactory references, studies, etc.” [truncated]
    • 9-26-11 Blog post about removal of page, “ASMR Wikipedia Page Shut Down.  It happened – and I can’t say I’m surprised. I visited the ASMR Wikipedia page just the other day and saw that it had been deleted. We gave it a shot, trying to keep it up, and despite the somewhat malicious opinions of some of the editors (calling those defending the page “meatpuppets” or “sockpuppets”) we have to ignore them and focus on the bigger picture.  When they say that there’s no hard scientific evidence to support the claims on the page, they’re probably right. We have one video trial with results unpublished to the public so far, and we have a long way to go with our own research efforts before we can really say we have something.” [truncated]

2012

  • 3-12-15 Stephen Novella publishes a post about ASMR on his neuroscience blog Neurologica
    • About Stephen Novella, “Dr. Novella is an academic clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. He is the president and co-founder of the New England Skeptical Society.” [truncated]
    • Dr. Novella’s post about ASMR, “…The phenomenon is called autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR). …is it real? In this case, I don’t think there is a definitive answer, but I am inclined to believe that it is. There are a number of people who seem to have independently (that is always the key, but it is a recent enough phenomenon that this appears to be true) experienced and described the same syndrome with some fairly specific details. In this way it’s similar to migraine headaches – we know they exist as a syndrome primarily because many different people report the same constellation of symptoms and natural history…I think it is entirely plausible, or at least this is no obstacle to acceptance of ASMR as real…In any case it is plausible that a subset of the population has a particular pattern of neural hard wiring so that when they experience certain things that are typically quietly satisfying they get a little extra shot to their pleasure center…What we need at this point are functional MRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation studies that look at what is happening in the brains of people while experiencing ASMR, vs typical controls…” [excerpts]
  • 3-?-12 April 9th declared as International ASMR Day by members of the I Am ASMR Facebook group.
    • Ilse Blansert posts video about it.  Video description, “Hello everybody!! Tonight we made history on Facebook and we are talking about an idea for a international asmr day on the 9th of April this year to start with. it’s just an idea and we want your opinion about this (if possible on Facebook so that everybody can read it!). I also mention an international convention for ASMR people in the future.  WE DID’NT MAKE ANY DECISIONS YET SO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THESE IDEA’S. We want to have an honest opinion from everybody so that we can make this happen together and that everybody of the community get’s involved with this!!!! love you all!! Feel free to make a video response, like, comment and subscribe! Your support means a lot to me!”

2013

  • 1-1-13 Braingasm documentary about ASMR launches Facebook page
    • 3-9-13 First post from Director Lindsay Ragone (Toronto, Canada), “We’re looking for people to interview over Skype about their ASMR experiences. The audio will be used in the film, so volunteers must have access to a decent quality microphone. If you’re interested in being involved just send an email to info@braingasm-film.com and we can set something up!”
    • 4-10-14 Braingasm documentary about ASMR begins successful Kickstarter campaign
  • 2-?-13 Bryson Lochte at Dartmouth College, U.S. begins MRI study about ASMR
    • 2-3-13 ASMR subreddit post by Bryson, “Is anyone interested in volunteering for and fMRI study on ASMR?  First time poster: I’m currently conducting a research study on the effects of ASMR videos on the brain. So far, I’ve only been looking at the videos’ effects on a non-ASMR population, but I’m eager to scan people who actually experience ASMR. This subreddit has been a huge help to me throughout my project, and I’d love for you guys to be participants! I’m looking for volunteers who have a reliable ASMR response to at least one video. I’m conducting the study at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, so if you live in the North Eastern United States and are interested in helping the scientific community find out more about ASMR, please contact me! I’m happy to answer any questions.” [truncated]
    • 5-?-13 Results published in dissertation Title of dissertation,  “Touched through a screen : putative neural correlates of autonomous sensory meridian response”
    • 11-25-13 ASMR subreddit update from Bryson  “Thanks so much for all of your support and to those who volunteered. I have been getting a lot of emails from the ASMR community so I felt I should give an update on the study. I finished the study in May, since then I have been writing up my findings and having them reviewed by the other authors. I have been told not to release any of the findings until the article has been published in a journal, because discussing results could prevent the study from ever being published. Unfortunately, publication is a very long process so it could be a few more months before I can discuss the results with the community. As some of you have noticed, my thesis was published in the Dartmouth library: http://www.reddit.com/r/asmr/comments/1mv8ij/ but, like the other results, I cannot release a copy until after publication.”
  • 3-29-13 NPR in U.S. broadcasts the ASMR story A Tribe called Rest by Andrea Seigel in episode #491 of the This American Life audio program
    • Program description, “How could whispering change your life? Andrea Seigel tells this story about finding out that she is undeniably not alone.”
    • Ilse Blansert posts ASMR section on YouTube, “Hi everyone! I cut out the actual part about ASMR that appeared on NRP radio in the US recently. A few whisperers are mentioned in this broadcast and me, chris, maria & darryl were actually interviewed for this broadcast but unfortunately they were not able to put that in the program. Still hope you’ll enjoy it! love ilse”
  • 4-7-13 Tingly Sensation documentary about ASMR publishes first post on Facebook page
    • 4-7-13 Facebook post from Director Kate Mull (Washington DC), “The ASMR Film Project page has finally launched! The journey has just begun and I hope many will join me. This will be used to share project updates and to connect with people who have insight and/or interest in the project. Excited to learn about this spectacular sensation and will need plenty of help along the way! Stay tuned for more updates soon”
    • 7-15-13 Tingly Sensation documentary about ASMR begins successful Kickstarter campaign
  • 4-?-13 Wikipedia ASMR page reinstated

2014

  • 7-8-14 Julie Young announces she will be co-authoring a book about ASMR with Ilse Blansert. Published in 2015.
    • Julie’s blog post, “…I feel it. I experience it and I have for a very long period of time. Now, I am writing an entire book about it (along with one of the premier ASMRtists on YouTube Water Whispers Ilse!) I am currently looking for ASMR experiencers and ASMR content creators to interview and would love to include your stories. please feel free to reply to this post or to send me a PM on Facebook…” [excerpt]
  • 11-9-14: The first fully whispered podcast for relaxation is launched, ASMR Sleep Station.  Similar to the first fully whispered video channel (WhisperingLife in 2009), the host kept his identity private.

2015

  • 1-10-15 Graeme Cole begins production of “Murmurs”, a full-length cinematic movie about an ASMR artist.  Short description, “A reclusive ASMR superstar invites an online date to her studio. A paranoid romance with tingles.”
    • 6-8-15 Launched Facebook page for Murmurs
    • 7-31-15 Launched Indiegogo campaign, “….Principle shooting on the project has wrapped, but we urgently need your support to complete the movie and bring it to audiences at festivals and online. Your help will enable us to do the following: Shoot additional scenes, Edit the final film, Colour correction, compositing and effects, Sound design and mixing, Marketing and distribution…” [excerpt]
  • 3-26-15 “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): a flow-like mental state”, first peer-reviewed research publication about ASMR in the journal PeerJ authored by Emma Barratt and Nick Davis
    • Audio: First research publication about ASMR
    • 5-2-15 Authors share their thoughts about publication, Dr. Davis: “It is nice to know that we were first past the post, but I don’t think ours is the definitive publication. We wanted to characterize the experience so we could understand it better, and to relate ASMR to psychological states that we knew a little more about. There are other people working in the field, and I’m sure there is some great work to come in the future.”  Ms. Barratt: “I agree. While our paper did the dirty work in defining some common features of ASMR in scientific literature, the really interesting stuff of what causes ASMR and why is still on the horizon.” [excerpt]
  • 5-5-15 “Idiot’s Guides: ASMR”, publication of first book about ASMR by major publisher authored by Julie Young and Ilse Blansert
    • 2-7-15 blog post about the cover art,  “…I really like the cover as well. I was really partial to the swirly design because for me, the tingles do not feel like shocks but a warm fuzzy feeling that swirls around me and I like the fact that the swirls seem to start in the eye, based on what someone is watching and then move into the brain. I really hope you all like it as well!…” [excerpt]

2016

  • 5-31-16 “An examination of the default mode network in individuals with autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)”, second peer-reviewed research publication about ASMR (first peer-reviewed biological research publication).  Published in the Social Neuroscience journal by Stephen Smith, Beverley Fredborg, & Jennifer Kornelsen.
    • Audio: Second research publication about ASMR
    •  Summary:
      • Authors used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to compare the blood flow (an indirect but mostly accurate indication of neuronal activity or functional connectivity) of specific areas of the brain in individuals who experience ASMR (ASMR-sensitive) to individuals who do not experience ASMR (controls).
      • Authors found that ASMR-sensitive individuals had some areas of the brain with lesser and some areas with greater functional connectivity than the controls.
    • From 2016 explanation of their paper:
      • “The authors hypothesize that ASMR-sensitive individuals may have a “reduced ability to inhibit sensory-emotional experiences that are suppressed in most individuals”, and caution that the data “…do not indicate that ASMR is a psychopathology. In fact, the opposite may be true…”. In other words, the ability to experience ASMR may not be a disorder, but rather a structural difference which grants a special window to experience relaxation.”
    • From 2016 interview with the researchers:
      • “Our recent paper was an examination of the best known of these networks, the default mode network. Looking at this network allowed us to see that the brains of people with ASMR differed from the rest of the population even when they weren’t actively experiencing tingles…We’re speculating that in ASMR, different resting-state networks are blending in a way that doesn’t typically occur in other people. This isn’t bad; it’s just different.”
  • 7-10-16 The National Sleep Organization posts an informational and positive article about ASMR on www.sleep.org.
    • This article suggests ASMR is helpful for relaxation and insomnia and encourages readers to try it.  The article does contain a major oversight, read an analysis of the article HERE.

2017

  • 2-23-17 “An Examination of Personality Traits Associated with Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)”, third peer-reviewed research publication about ASMR, published in the Frontiers in Psychology journal, authored by Beverley Fredborg, Jim Clark, and Stephen Smith.
    • Summary: ASMR experiencers score higher in Openness and Neuroticism, and score lower in Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness.  The following were rated as the top 5 most intense triggers: whispering, haircut stimulation, tapping sounds, scratching sounds, and watching someone touch another person’s hair.
    • Audio: Third research publication about ASMR
  • 9-1-17 The Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference includes session about ASMR.
    • Session 3, 2:40 pm, Presentation: “The Tingle-Event: To What Extent Can the Posthuman Subject Be Embodied Within the Intimate Soundscapes of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) Videos?” – Lizzie Masterton (University of the Arts London, UK)
  • 9-2-17 Intentional ASMR scene created for movie, “Battle of the Sexes“, starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell.
    • From Director Valerie Faris,  “We listened to a lot of A.S.M.R. recordings…So we wanted to try to recreate that sensation for the audience, partly by the way Andrea was talking to her, but then also seeing her run her fingers through Billie Jean’s hair.”

 

References & Resources:

ASMRyouready.com, The History of the ASMR Community, Liam Rae, May 30, 2015

knowyourmeme.com, Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)

ASMR subreddit posts:  Feb, 2014,  Mar, 2015

The Unnamed Feeling blog, Timeline and history of ASMR blog post and most other blog posts at this terrific site.

10 thoughts on “History of ASMR”

  1. Pingback: Interview with WhisperingLife, the first ASMR artist | ASMR University

  2. the existence of tingling energy in the limbic plexus area (or above the fontanelle bone and surrounding area) has existed for thousand of years however known only to the few. Lately it seems people want to re-invent it with a new name. It starts from the sacrum bone and passes through various channels to eventually permeate the limbic area ie . tingling. It is the kundalini (a chaste Female Primordial Energy) that nourishes and balances various centres including the limbic area.

    Get your Self Realization and master your own peace within yourself. No additional outside sounds or whispering needed.

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  3. Pingback: Birth of the ASMR Community (podcast) | ASMR University

  4. Pingback: Meet WhisperSparkles, one of the first ASMR artists on YouTube | ASMR University

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