Why ASMR Matters
True relaxation seems harder to come by than ever before.
We as individuals face a near-constant bombardment of negative external stimuli, anxiety-inducing images and anger-laced tirades. Try as we might, we cannot completely avoid the onslaught of fear-driven thoughts and beliefs from powerful media outlets, anxious family members, opinionated coworkers and just about anyone else who feels they have the right to tell us how and what to think.
It would seem, at any given moment, someone is bound to try to (or inadvertently) bring us down.
The fears, opinions and unresolved childhood issues of those around us impact us and shape our identity, even if we resolutely disagree with what they have to say and how they view the world.
For many of us, this comes in the form of friends and family members who ingest far too much of the twenty-four hour news cycle. If anything gets a person’s stress hormones flowing and fight or flight response kicked into high gear, that certainly will.
They may be justified in their level of engagement. The world as we know it may be utterly falling apart; there is certainly evidence to suggest that. I do see value in focusing on the positive at times, though.
So what can we do? How do we calm ourselves and quiet our minds in the Age of Fear?
For many, the answer to that question is ASMR. The term ASMR, short for “autonomous sensory meridian response”, initially referred specifically to the tingling sensation in the head and neck one gets from certain relaxing triggers, like quiet, friendly whispering, personal attention to one’s face or head or repetitive tapping, but now refers to an entire genre of online entertainment dedicated to helping viewers relax.
While giving the viewer “the tingles” is still a stated goal, I find true, wholesome, world-forgetting alleviation of stress and a relaxed state of consciousness to be the more frequent and prolonged effect.
ASMR videos have been absolutely blowing up on YouTube. For big-name channels like Gibi, Darling and Dana, a few million views on a video is not uncommon, and for lesser-known artists like Catplant, [Esc] Reality and Atmosphere, a couple hundred thousand views is a great day. Many videos have thousands of views only hours after being posted.
ASMR performers create new worlds and engaging stories where disbelief is suspended and we as viewers forget ourselves. They build up our self-esteem and psychological wellbeing with positive affirmations and calming (though virtual) personal attention. It often doesn’t matter whether or not the performer speaks in a language we understand (or uses language at all).
There are feelings, sensations, spaces of consciousness created by ASMR performers (or ASMRtists) that are inherently pleasurable and repeatable. The sights and sounds of these videos hearken back to a simpler time, maybe one’s childhood (or imagined ideal childhood). ASMRtists give us a sense of peace and safety in a world that continues to alienate us from ourselves and others.
ASMR matters because it is the eternal soothing parent, a hot stone massage after a hard week of work, a caring smile amidst so many frowns. We may feel more lost now than at any other point in our lives. ASMR stands as a shining beacon of hope, a soft voice from the beyond gently but firmly telling us, “Shh, I’m here, you’re going to be alright.”
That may or may not be true; we may never be alright. It might always be this hard for us. I certainly don’t know. I do know that ASMRtists are giving a beautiful gift to the world, and making surviving this period in history just a bit easier. And for that I am grateful.
