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The strange way ASMR affects your brain

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Could ASMR have become the latest YouTube craze because… it reminds us of our mum?

This past weekend America (and many punters around the globe) tuned in to the Super Bowl. A large part of this sporting event is, of course, watching the infamous Super Bowl ads.

Brands splash out millions of dollars on the coveted advertising slots, and every year Twitter users take to the platform in droves to give their opinions.

https://youtu.be/zqU8ar4gSyI

The ad garnering the most controversy this year was one by beer retailer Michelob Ultra. Their 45-second ad featured actress Zoe Kravitz employing the art of ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) by tapping a beer bottle with her fingernails and whispering into a microphone.

ASMR is a recent trend on YouTube involving videos of people (usually young women) performing repetitive tasks, such as folding napkins or turning pages, whilst talking softly and repetitively into the camera.

The phenomenon’s most popular practitioners have more than half a million subscribers, with the undisputed queen of ASMR Maria of ‘Gentle Whispering ASMR’ even quitting her job to make videos full time. Check her out below.

https://youtu.be/gs-iqvX6pOA

The purpose of the videos is supposedly to create a tingling sensation in the head and the spine, illiciting a feeling of euphoria.

People have claimed that watching the videos can help with insomnia and depression, however it seems that the videos do not affect everyone, leading many people to decry ASMR as a hoax.

As ASMR has started to come to mainstream attention, researchers have begun trying to work out if there is any scientific validity to the claims.

Neurologists have conducted studies involving chucking subjects into MRI machines and playing them ASMR clips. Results have proven inconclusive.

Stephen Smith from the University of Winnipeg, having conducted one such study, concluded that ASMR more readily affects introverts that extroverts. However, it has proven difficult to simulate the relaxed conditions in which one would normally listen to ASMR within an MRI machine.

Craig Richard, a professor of biopharmaceutical sciences in the US, reports having experienced ASMR, and has developed his own theory regarding its effectiveness which he is currently testing. He notes that the quality that underlies almost all ASMR videos is what’s been called a ‘tranquil, womb-like intimacy.’

That is, ASMRtists speak softly into the ears of headphone-wearing viewers, gently coaxing them to sleep by way of comforting words, smiles, and simulated stroking, much like one’s mother may have done during childhood.

Richard suggests that the ‘extreme relaxation’ of ASMR may be the reverse mirror image of a panic attack, existing at the extreme end of the relaxation spectrum.

Our brains seem to recognize this as a pattern of maternal care – someone with a caring glance or a gently whisper, which we find it comforting.

It’s a provocative idea: that ASMR videos might elicit some of those biochemical experiences associated with a mother’s love. And all through video contact with a stranger.

So, you heard it here first. If you liked Michelob’s ad, then it’s probably because you think Zoe Kravitz is your ma.

Departed London, UK

My interests include social and climate justice, women’s issues, and human rights. If you\’re keen on current affairs and social change, check out my profile! Follow me on Twitter and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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