ASMR

6-23-15 Update: The 2015 ASMR Convention has been canceled.

/ Dr. Richard / 3 Comments

The event was scheduled for Saturday, September 19th, 2015 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, USA.

Unfortunately, the event has now been canceled.

Tickets sales for the event were being done through Kickstarter.  This means that if the fundraising goal is not met then the event or project usually does not occur.

The initial rate of tickets sales for the event started off too slow to show a strong probability of meeting the fundraising goal.

The organizers of the event, Paige Towers and Bryan Shigekawa, provide some insight about the challenges with the event planning, as well as their heartfelt apologies for canceling the event.

The link to their explanation is below.

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Graduate student writes a theory paper about the ASMR community

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Shawn Watkins is a graduate student in the Communication department at Angelo State University located in Angelo, Texas.

He is interested in the cultural phenomenon of ASMR, including common themes and word meanings that have developed within the ASMR community. Shawn did a literature search on this topic and wrote up a paper about his perspectives and findings for one of his communication classes.

His paper investigates the ASMR community through the lens of Bormann’s Symbolic Convergence Theory.

He has agreed to share his paper and annotated bibliography to help others whom are researching ASMR or are trying to understand ASMR better. A link to his paper is included at the end of this post.

Shawn also agreed to answer some questions about his paper. He shares his inspiration for the paper, his favorite ASMR artist, his objectives for the paper, the most surprising thing he learned about ASMR, and more.

Below are my questions in bold and his replies in italics.

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Meet Dmitri, the ASMR artist of the massageASMR YouTube channel

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Dmitri is an Information Technologist living on the east coast of Australia, in the city of Gold Coast.

He began making massage videos and then evolved his channel into creating ASMR videos. With over 200,000 followers, this change has proven quite successful.

Dmitri was also brilliant to shift from massage only videos to massage and ASMR videos because the biology of ASMR might just be tapping into some of the same biology that causes massages to feel so relaxing.

I’m fortunate and honored that he agreed to be the first ASMR artist interviewed for this site.

Dmitri shares his thoughts about massage and ASMR, offers advice to new ASMR artists, explains an idea for an ASMR experiment, and more.

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

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The first ASMR Convention will be held this year in Fall of 2015

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Imagine over 1000 people at a convention. Every person is there because they share an appreciation, a passion, a commitment, and/or a genuine curiosity for ASMR.

The attendees are expected to be ASMR artists, ASMR fans, health professionals, scientists, researchers, and all those with a deep interest in ASMR.

The activities will most likely include Q&A with popular artists, round tables on the art and culture of ASMR, panel discussions on mental health, presentations with results of ASMR research, and demonstrations of the best equipment and technology for creating and enjoying ASMR.

Desiring something more interactive and deeply relaxing? This opportunity for live group ASMR sessions will probably not go wasted.

And of course, expect to mingle, meet, and get to know the heart of the ASMR community.

I started with “imagine” because it has not happened yet. The ink (and sweat) has just dried on getting the venue booked, the dates set, and the website created.

Want to know more details?  Read on.

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Postdoctoral researcher at King’s College investigating the online culture of ASMR

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Dr. Rob Gallagher is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of English at King’s College in London. He has his Ph.D. in Humanities and Cultural Studies and is involved with a group research project investigating the influence of the internet on identities.

Dr. Gallagher is specifically looking into how the culture and language of ASMR developed, how people integrate ASMR experiences into their online identities, and how those who feel “tingles’ describe their experience.

Dr. Gallagher explains how interviewing ASMR artists gave him great insight into the art of ASMR, gives examples of how the media and academics approach ASMR differently, and shares information about a forthcoming podcast about ASMR.

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

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ASMR is one of several ways to improve your sleep

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I was searching online to see which sites were reporting about the first peer-reviewed publication on ASMR.

One site I came across was http://www.sleepsherpa.com.  The website is run by Ben Trapskin out of Minneapolis, Minnesota and focuses on products for better sleep.

I was impressed that he reported on the ASMR publication and I found his site well organized and informative. He provides insight on mattresses, pillows, bedding, sleep aids, and even books that he feels can improve sleep.

Many individuals report that ASMR is helpful to them because it makes it easier for them to fall asleep. But for anyone, whether they utilize ASMR to fall asleep or not, it can be beneficial to know about additional products and suggestions helpful to a good night’s rest.

Ben shares his tips and experiences with improving his own sleep, information about a pillow that plays sounds which won’t wake your partner, the advantages of using a sleep tracking device, his thoughts about ASMR, and more.

Below are my questions in bold and his replies in italics.

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“The ASMRtist Show”, the first podcast about ASMR artists.

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Jose Prendes, a filmmaker in Los Angeles, has recently started a new podcast about ASMR called, “The ASMRtist Show.”

Jose records his podcast in his home studio and already has completed several episodes. I was honored to be the first guest on his show. Jose was a terrific host and it was quite an enjoyable interview.

I sent Jose some questions to learn more about him and his new podcast.  Now I get to turn the table and ask Jose questions.

Jose shares why he wanted to kick off his show with a scientist, offers insight about what makes a good ASMR artist, gives some tips for starting your own podcast, and spills the beans on which ASMR artists you will hear in his next five episodes.

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

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Could ASMR be used at work to decrease stress?

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The workplace can be a stressful environment for most professions.  Work-related stress can result in poor performance, job dissatisfaction, and missed workdays.

One field that struggles constantly with job-related stress is health care, especially for those who work in surgical Intensive Care Units (ICU).

The word “intensive” is practically a synonym for the word “stress”.

Here is a crazy experiment: give these ICU workers one hour off in the middle of their workday to meditate, perform yoga, enjoy relaxing music, and watch soothing ASMR videos – then see if that helps their stress.

Well, one team of researchers almost did that exact experiment and just published the results in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

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The book “Idiot’s Guide: ASMR” is now available for purchase.

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ASMR Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response UniversityThe book is authored by Julie Young and Ilse Blansert.

Julie is a freelance writer and author, and Ilse is a popular ASMR artist known as TheWaterwhispers.  Together they tackled the topic of ASMR from every angle to create the most comprehensive book yet about ASMR.

Does the book include scientific theories about ASMR?  You bet.

What else can be found in the book?  A whole lot more.  See below.

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Part 4: The first peer-reviewed publication about ASMR: Interview with the authors

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ASMR Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response UniversityThis is Part 4, and the conclusion, of my blog post series on the first peer-reviewed paper about ASMR.

As a refresher, the paper is titled, “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): a flow-like mental state”. It was published on March 26th, 2015 in the journal PeerJ.

This post is an interview with the authors of the paper, Emma Barratt and Nick Davis.

Dr. Nick Davis has his PhD in Psychology from the University of Birmingham (UK) and is currently working in the Department of Psychology at Swansea University (UK) as a Lecturer in Psychology.

Ms Emma Barratt is the lead author of the paper and has her MSc in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology from Swansea University (Wales).

The authors share their inspirations for beginning the research, challenges with writing the paper, and Ms. Barratt finds out a shocking fact about her co-author.

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