Research

Global ASMR survey by Deezer uncovers helpful data about ASMR

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ASMRU - white box - JPGDeezer is an online audio platform with a catalog of more than 90 million songs, playlists, podcasts and radio channels.

They recently launched two ASMR-related projects, ASMR Sessions (press release) and an ASMR Global Survey (press release).

ASMR sessions, the first project, was the re-creation of top hits by top artists into ASMR-style fusions.  Participating artists (and their re-created ASMR-stylized song) included

  • Alicia Keys (Fallin’)
  • James Blunt (You’re Beautiful)
  • Sir Tom Jones (What’s New Pussycat)
  • Ava Max (Kings and Queens)
  • YUNGBLUD (Parents).

I was fortunate to be able to work with Deezer as they produced these ASMR/Music fusion tracks.  Each musical artist, as well as the Deezer audio engineers, did a wonderful job of transforming these hit songs into ASMR-style experiences.  You can listen to these reimagined ASMR fusion songs HERE.

The rest of this article will focus on Deezer’s second ASMR project, the ASMR Global Survey.  I also worked with Deezer on the creation of the survey and the data summaries.  I’ll share the survey methods and general findings below.

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Participate in a research study about ASMR, mindfulness, and unusual sensory experiences

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Viktoria Venkatess is a student, pursuing a BSc. in Psychology at the University of Southampton, UK.

Her research project is investigating the experiences of watching ASMR videos and mindfulness, and is titled, “Exploring the link between mindfulness and unusual sensory experiences in people who experience ASMR”

Viktoria’s faculty advisor for the study is Dr. Emma Palmer-Cooper, Lecturer at University of Southampton, UK.

Viktoria is looking for participants to take her online survey, which has been reviewed and approved by the University of Southampton Research Ethics Committee (ERGO: 64395)

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Participate in a research study about ASMR and interpersonal space

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

Her research project is investigating if the distance we keep from other people, called interpersonal space, is affected by the experience of ASMR.

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

Adela is looking for participants to take her online study, which has been reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the School of Psychology and Sport Science (SREP), at Anglia Ruskin University (approval code: PSY-S19-025).

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Meet AndreawhisperingASMR, the ASMRtist on YouTube who wrote her B.A. thesis on ASMR and advertising

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Andrea Rovira lives in Spain and has recently graduated from the Istituto Europeo Design in Italy with a BA in Fashion, Marketing, & Communication.

Andrea has also been creating ASMR videos for her YouTube channel, AndreawhisperingASMR, since September, 2019.  She has created about 100 ASMR videos so far and has grown her channel to have over 41,000 followers.

Additionally, Andrea has recently completed her undergraduate dissertation titled, “The Role of ASMR in Future Advertising.”  Her dissertation is the best organized and most visually appealing one I have ever seen – a true testament to her natural skills and the knowledge acquired from her Marketing and Communication training.

I interviewed Andrea and she shared her most challenging aspects of creating ASMR videos, her tips for new artists creating ASMR videos, and the curious things she discovered while writing her thesis about ASMR and advertising.

Below are my questions in bold, her replies in italics, and a link to her ASMR YouTube Channel, as well as, a link to her complete dissertation.

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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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