TIL ASMR

[feng_shui_house]

Today I Learned there's a name for the physical experience I often have.

I'd been watching the Hercules Candy videos for a while and this one made me google ASMR.

ASMR Making Ultra Thin Ribbon Candy by hand (with explanations & minimal talking)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHWUXVGaVp4

Comments

[feng_shui_house]

Google SAYS:

ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) is a relaxing, tingling sensation that starts on the scalp and moves down the neck and spine, triggered by specific soft sounds or visuals like whispering, tapping, or gentle hand movements. Often described as a "brain massage," it induces feelings of calm and can help with relaxation, sleep, and mood improvement by activating brain regions associated with reward and emotion, releasing feel-good neurotransmitters like endorphins, oxytocin, and dopamine.

Common ASMR Triggers
• Sounds: Whispering, soft speaking, tapping, crinkling, page-turning, typing, chewing, humming.
• Visuals: Slow, deliberate hand movements, personal attention, hair play, light patterns.
• Roleplay: Videos where creators simulate personal attention, such as a doctor's visit or a makeup application.
How it Works (The Science)
• Brain Activity: ASMR activates the brain's limbic system, which controls emotions and reward, leading to feelings of pleasure.
• Neurotransmitters: It triggers the release of endorphins, oxytocin, and dopamine, which boost mood and promote calm.
• Physiological Effects: Studies suggest it can lower heart rate and blood pressure, helping to relieve stress and anxiety.
Who Experiences It?
• Not everyone experiences ASMR, but for those who do, it's an involuntary, pleasant sensory response, similar to getting chills but positive.
• It's a subjective experience, and triggers vary from person to person, but the goal is a state of peaceful, focused relaxation.

[feng_shui_house]

In my case, sometimes its music- of the right frequency and tempo (violins can hit the spot), sometimes it's a 'feel good' scene in a movie, sometimes it's just *remembering* one of those scenes.

Not really any of the things google mentions (I type a lot, though it would be hard to tell if that triggers it for me)- I guess the 'simulate personal attention' could also be focussing on a video so closely I identify with it- but that wouldn't explain how the candy making video DID give me a nice ASMR reaction.

For me, it feels like a chill, like pleasant excitation, tightening, quivering, of the area around my ears and the sides of my face where my eyeglass arms press. The feeling lasts for quite a while for me-not just a few minutes.