Although there is no actual time in which autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) became a “thing”, one of its first moments occurred in 2010 by a woman who created a Facebook group dedicated to studying how  and why millions of people are mesmerized by this phenomenon

…I discovered ASMR in 2017. My first ever encounter was a Mukbang video of a chubby guy eating fried mozzarella balls and fried chicken, with some sort of yellow dressing. I was immediately enticed.

None of my friends understand what I am talking about. They all cringe when they hear the sounds of someone eating food, popping bubble wrap, whispering closely, or tapping on different materials. When I listen, there is an instantaneously shiver that overcomes within my body. There is a sense of relief within my body. I feel all the weight from my anxieties lift off of me and I am in a state of nirvana. Maybe I enjoy ASMR so much because I want the attention, or because I need something to distract me from doing the things I actually have to do. Maybe it’s both, or maybe there is something much more to this clownery. Maybe, maybe I am just overthinking and being my dramatic self. 

 

There really is no scientific data on ASMR except for the anecdotes people post on the internet. My opinion? ASMR isn’t for everyone but if you’re one of the people lucky enough to experience the tingling sensation, well, then you are quite special. It usually begins with a localized sensation starting in the back of the scalp and then moving down the spine.

 

Just as fidget spinners were created for people with ADHD,  ADD, have trouble focusing, or experience stress, ASMR was primarily used for people who experience insomnia, or experience anxiety. It’s not wrong for people who don’t experience these symptoms to enjoy ASMR, just like it is not wrong for people to own fidget spinners. ASMR creates a sort nostalgia, it lowers the heart rate, and takes on a sort of paradoxical emotion experience.

If you are trying to figure out if you’re one of the lucky people affected by the intense tingling sensational, watch these videos. It’s not uncommon, but it is pretty amazing (if I do say so myself). 

 

1. People speaking softly 
2. Getting your hair played with/brushed 
3. Whispering
4. Close personal attention 
5. Getting a haircut 
6. Interaction with face or head 
7. Tapping on hard surfaces 
8. Watching people do things in a careful, attentive way
9. Hand movements 
10. Scratching sounds 
11. Water/fluid sounds 
12. Lip-smacking
13. Observing/listening to someone eating