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If you clicked on this article it is because you were probably more than once hypnotized by a video that showed you hands cutting soap or that magnificent floral foam, whose sound captivated you so much that you couldn’t stop watching it.
The exquisite sensation of watching and listening to these videos responds to the already famous ASMR, the acronym for the English version of “Autonomous Meridian Sensory Response”, a term that refers to “Brain orgasms” that give you a relaxation, which can be accompanied by a tingling from the head to the end of the spine, says El País.
It began to be an internet phenomenon when several users began to offer videos on YouTube in which they whispered, brushed hair, dropped pastes, scratched the microphone grill or any action that shows an activity with a sound that gives you goosebumps.
And now, it’s out of control, from mini documentaries to interviews with actresses like Margot robbie in format “ASMR” they multiply on the web, generating addiction in those who are susceptible to this sensation, but why does it have so many followers.
What is ASMR
?
In the video you could see how Margot indicates by whispering into the microphone that its childhood sound is that of a knife spreading butter on toast.
The experience that that sound gave you is what is known as ASMR, a term that curiously was not coined by science, but rather by a Facebook forum, prior to 2010, GQ noted.
In short, it is hypnotic audiovisual material, although for some more daring it can be defined as “someone makes love to you through your ears” with just one click.
It became a phenomenon when YouTube was filled with videos that sought to generate an ASMR response in users, with content creators who went on to win in the war of visualizations with videos that were recorded with high-definition cameras and ultra-sensitive microphones to capture even the smallest detail of the action that is being carried out, highlights El Mundo.
Without appealing to humor, fun, debate or current affairs, these “Youtubers of the ASMR” what are they really “Role players” Since they intentionally generate this response, they reached the list of the most viewed channels on the Google platform with their neutrality and ability to generate addiction.
An example of the popularity of these videos is Makenna Kelly, the star of ASMR’s YouTube channel, Life with MaK, who when she was only 13 years old in 2019, could earn close to a thousand dollars a day thanks to her content, Business Insider notes. .
Another, a little more extreme, is Jane ASMR, a Korean who has over 12 million subscribers on her YouTube channel and who could pocket about 6 million dollars a year in her pocket, thanks to her colorful content in which she tries various sweets. that seduce the senses.
ASMR a therapy?
Usually, people who are fervent followers of ASMR on the internet declare that one of the reasons for watching these videos constantly is because it helps them sleep better and reduce anxiety, reducing stress in their lives.
Despite the fact that the trend has been online for many years, it was not until 2015 that researchers began to take this phenomenon seriously.
According to El Confidencial, the first were psychologists from the University of Swansea in the United Kingdom, Emma barratt Y Nick davies, who studied what was the motivation for people to become addicted to these types of videos, conducting an investigation that considered 475 volunteers.
The researchers highlighted “ASMR can be induced, in those who are susceptible, by a fairly consistent set of triggers”, referring precisely to those sounds or actions that trigger this sensation of pleasure and relaxation, such as whispering, which was the first choice of 75% of the participants, when they were asked what they were looking for on YouTube.
It is followed by “personalized attention” when content creators always talk about “you” and the crunchy sounds, where those videos in which we see people typing, folding paper or cutting some things come in.
Barrat Y Davies They also revealed that there are benefits to ASMR for those who prefer these videos, as they improve your mood and pain symptoms, suggesting that it could even be a potential therapy, such as meditation or mindfulness.
However, in the opinion of the neurologist and coordinator of the new technologies committee of the Spanish Neurology Society, Álvaro Sánchez Ferro “The ASMR does not have a solid scientific basis”, this because although there are studies, the people who participate in them are predisposed to feel it, highlights El País.
Sánchez also indicates that “We know that suggestion is very powerful. For example, when we do clinical trials of migraines, almost 40% of the beneficial effect is produced by a placebo ”.
In addition, the neurologist emphasizes that “People can be very in need of relaxation strategies because we live in a very stressful world” adding that many psychological therapies consider all slow voice, whispers or sounds that take you away from worries and focus on other types of sensations, so you do not see much difference between ASMR and other relaxation strategies.
The side of ASMR that not everyone knows
Like yin-yan, ASMR also has its dark lake, as there is not much scientific research to support its efficacy against anxiety, indulging in this feeling as “therapy” can be misleading, GQ notes.
The magazine also recalls the Netflix documentary, Follow This, in which reporters from Buzzfeed News went in search of an explanation for certain popular topics on the internet. The documentary, which is no longer available on the platform, suggests that getting excited by these types of sounds could be a symptom of a mental disorder.
Another negative factor to consider is Misophonia, a disorder that is the opposite of ASMR, since people who suffer from it suffer a negative response when hearing certain sounds, which can manifest itself in irritation or directly violence.
A study called “A Large-Scale Study of Misophonia” conducted by the Dutch Rouw tomke Y Erfaian mercede postulates that approximately the 50% of the volunteers who reported suffering from misophonia were also able to enjoy ASMR, although they were not able to conclude what were the causes that generated the misophonia.
For the moment, There is no clear truth to science about ASMR, its origin and if it is possible that it is a therapy, since it is a young phenomenon and there is still a lack of scientific research that can provide answers to these and other ASMR questions.
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