We live a fast-paced life and we walk all the time, some more than others, looking for solutions to enjoy a slower life . One of the ones that has become the most fashionable in recent times, apart from mindfulness, is that of ASMR videos.
Have you heard of them? Do you have any idea what they are? Well, let's explain it to you, because surely when you know it, the ASMR thing will not sound so strange to you. Or if. ASMR is, to begin with, the acronym for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or what is the same in Spanish, Autonomous Meridian Sensory Response.
Actually it is a phenomenon very close to biology, offering a feeling of pleasure, warmth and even relaxation, which can be accompanied by physical sensations . We speak of a kind of tingling in the head, in the scalp and in other regions of the body.
The proliferation of ASMR videos on YouTube
As you can imagine, the largest pool of ASMR videos is on YouTube . In this Google platform you can find hundreds and hundreds of videos dedicated to the Autonomous Meridian Sensory Response. So much so that in recent years countless ASMR youtubers have proliferated. As you read it.
They are the ones who publish videos and they are even the ones who experiment with the sounds that people like so much. But what kind of sounds are we talking about? Up here you have a first sample. Some of the sounds that can cause true cerebral orgasms for some people are soft voices, like whispers; repeating pattern sounds, such as turning the pages of a book at a steady pace; seeing or hearing a person doing everyday actions, such as preparing food; sounds that are produced with the mouth, when eating or chewing gum or roleplays, a kind of performance in which the creator of the video interacts virtually with the user.
On YouTube you can find practically everything. The searches most performed by users are the following: ASMR, Spanish ASMR, ASMR for sleeping, ASMR eating or ASMR hairdresser. The variety is huge, so if you've never tried it before, this may be a good opportunity to find out if these sounds and images also relax you.
One of the videos that has caught our attention - probably because we have become hooked on it - is a compilation of slimes. In this you can see and hear how different smiles are mixed with shapes, colors and different transparencies. The sounds, the stickiness of the masses and their vibrant colors are truly hypnotic for some users.
In some cases, ASMR videos can be equally unsettling and relaxing. It seems that there are people who find it relaxing to talk to them whispering and making certain sounds , such as the noise that a cap makes when opening a bottle of cream or the sound of fingers or hands rubbing together.
Another curious form of the ASMR phenomenon has to do with the large number of people looking for other people to eat. And eating different things . For example, some ASMR youtubers record themselves eating sushi or McDonalds hamburgers. Because it is seen is that depending on what you eat, you emit one noise or another, which can be more or less pleasant for ASMR fans.
Then there is an ASMR modality that turns out to be one of the most sought after. And it's people chewing gum. Some youtubers specialized in ASMR take advantage of the videos to chew gum and talk whispering about their life.
Little studied biological effects
Unfortunately, for now there are no reliable studies that tell us why there are people who have biological sensations when hearing these sounds. At the moment there is little rigor in this regard, but we have the information that people provide us through their experiences .
Some feel a kind of tingling that runs through their entire body, pleasant chills or small cramps in the back. The effects of ASMR are so powerful that in some countries some spas or relaxation centers have already begun to be installed in which they expose people to this type of stimulus. These work as triggers to produce endless pleasurable sensations.
And it should work. Because otherwise, YouTube wouldn't be a hotbed of ASMR videos , with millions and millions of views. The experts - who are actually YouTubers who are dedicated to exploring this hugely successful path - recommend that users put on headphones and hit play.
Videos are usually long , so they can be several minutes long. The common denominator: youtubers - young people, boys or girls - who speak practically in a whisper and who do things to produce everyday sounds.
It is very likely that science will soon be able to tell us why we feel pleasure in watching these videos. Although it should be noted that not all of us experience the cerebral orgasms to which many allude, we can assure you that the videos have an undeniable effect. Something makes that, although these sounds do not arouse in us a religious experience, we are hooked watching how they knead slime or snap their fingers over a microphone .
Most people who try them and feel their effects use these videos and sounds to relax or fall asleep. Try it yourself and see what happens to you. You may discover your panacea.