April 18, 2025

Snika Gupta

11th Grade

Brooklyn Technical High School

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, is a response to audio-visual stimuli such as clicking, tapping, and whispering. The response includes a “warm tingling and pleasant sensation” beginning from the top of the head going down to the bottom of the body. The tingles that go along with this response usually come with feelings of calm. Experiences like this often occur and have been studied in music chills and awe chills. 

Research shows a physiological response when watching ASMR videos. It can trigger relaxation and pleasure. The hormones associated with this feeling, Oxytocin and dopamine, are released from ASMR. It also can change the heart rate, slowing and calming it. 

Triggers for ASMR are usually audio-visual, but each person's individual triggers are all different. Mostly quiet and repetitive sounds trigger the response. Soft and slow movements are also associated with this. A common trigger is whispering, with 75 percent of participants being triggered by it. A close second was personal attention at 69 percent (Barratt and Davis, 2015). Often, closer, intimate situations are what trigger and exacerbate the response, which may also present a psychological response as well. 

ASMR has many benefits, explaining why ASMR videos are so popular. Bedtime can be easier if ASMR is used before sleep. The hormones oxytocin and dopamine mentioned before released from AMSR are often associated with better sleep. Additionally, benefits seen from AMSR are pain relief and improved mood. People suffering from chronic pain report relief for hours after an ASMR experience. Reported moods around an ASMR experience also show a significant increase of mood during and after the session, with the mood score waning around 3+ hours after. 

Effects of ASMR change based on auditory and audiovisual stimuli. MRI results show different parts of the brain and activated between the two types of stimuli. The audio and audiovisual stimuli engage different areas and provide different experiences. However, there was no significant difference in mood between these experiences.