I’ve been sitting around, procrastinating to a point of genuine fear, watching Oddly Satisfying videos on Snapchat. I don’t know what it is, but something about a hydraulic press crushing a giant basketball really calms me down.

This current trend has been on the rise for the past few years…and I wanna know what all the hullabaloo is about!!

After meticulous research (watching “Satisfying Compilation” videos on Youtube), I found out some of the more common “satisfying” things:

• ASMR
• Slime squishing
• Soap cutting??? I don’t get this one.
• Crushing things

As I said, I really don’t get how soap cutting can cause someone to relax, but to each their own. Anyway, I kind of fell down a hole of oddly satisfying compilations, and I personally thoroughly enjoy the popping slime minis. Here’s a little video for you guys in case you’re unfamiliar with some of these things!

Another thing people seem to like is ASMR. I am not a big fan, but even some of my friends have told me how calming it is to them. An article on Vox explains that oftentimes, those triggered by ASMR get a tingly feeling in their head when they listen to it, and it only triggered by specific noises.

Another article even goes on to state that these videos (slime videos) bring us back to a state in our childhood. It relaxes us with its familiarity while also showing fine motor skills. Due to this, advertisers now take these satisfying sounds and add them to their commercials. We’ve all heard the iconic Kit-Kat break on TV!

On a different note, I am also interested in how so many people make money of off slime…all these famous YouTubers make and sell slime and have these videos with millions of views, and they make it look so easy!

Karina Garcia is a Youtuber that is very well known for her slime videos. She was basically an overnight sensation, making DIY slime videos for both kids and adults to enjoy.

That’s another thing…you’d think these videos are just for kids to enjoy – colorful slime with a bubbly personality playing with it – but many adults also enjoy watching her for the satisfying aspect of the slime.

I also have wanted to look at the origin of these videos. I dug deep into my saved Instagram videos, as well as looking online, and I think I may have found it. It all started with paint mixing videos. I remember this, they blew up! People loved to watch all these colors mix together. I think the only issue with them was that people couldn’t easily make the videos themselves, as the paint isn’t the cheapest. Soon after, slime videos came, and this time, they were so easy to make at your own home that the trend has yet to end!

I think that this trend, although a bit silly at times, is actually a great way for people to relax and unwind. If you’re having trouble sleeping, maybe ASMR is the thing for you (It works on a good portion of the population)! The only requirement to enjoy these videos is that you have to be willing to try them.