ASMR
ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) is a term that describes a physical sensation: euphoria or deep calm, sometimes a tingling in the body. In recent years an online audience of millions has grown, dedicated to watching the work of designers and content creators who try to trigger this feeling in their viewers.
Like meditation or yoga, ASMR happens to both your body and to your mind. It is not about speed, but about focus and slowness. Through sound and film, shared through broadcasting platforms such as YouTube, works of ASMR make room for close-looking, close-listening, and close-feeling.ASMR injects the Internet with softness, kindness and empathy As a form of digital intimacy, it offers comfort on demand, standing against the feeling of isolation that constant connectivity can deceptively breed. Anecdotally, ASMR is being used as a form of self-medication against the effects of loneliness, insomnia, stress, and anxiety. This is a clue to its success, and to its transcendental appeal.
/James Taylor-Foster, ︎/
THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF ASMR
The pleasant and calming feeling in the body that is initiated by the ASMR is also increasingly researched in scientific context as it can contribute to healthcare such as reducing stress, anxiety and helping to fall asleep.
“Beyond offering a momentary brain tingle, there is a growing belief that ASMR can be used as an alternative form of therapy. Researchers at the University of Sheffield and Manchester Metropolitan University found that those who experience the phenomenon had significantly reduced heart rates, increased relaxation and feelings of social connection.”
/Oliver Wainwright, The Guardian, ︎/