Have you ever closed your eyes and just let soft sounds take over? Maybe a distant thunderstorm, a whisper, or that math teacher's voice that used to put you to sleep? If you ever get tingles down your neck, spine, or sometimes even your limbs, you are experiencing Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR).

This is a phenomenon that has not yet undergone any scientific research, but hundreds of thousands of views and comments on YouTube provide evidence to support it. YouTube hosts the majority of ASMR sounds, which tends to include vloggers whispering into their microphone. These videos take a number of different forms. Some include a vlogger whispering a story, others include role-play haircuts and facials with complimentary scissor or bubble sounds, and some are just simply recordings of certain objects being tapped or touched.

It does take some experimenting to find what sounds personally give you goosebumps. Maybe it's the sound of hair being brushed, or the sound of Bob Ross' voice as he paints. There is an entire community of "Whisperers" out there just waiting to give you chills. Aside from a pleasurable experience, ASMR seems to help relieve insomnia, anxiety, and panic attacks according to YouTube comments.

Maybe eventually there will be some scientific way of measuring the response to prove its existence, but for now just put on some headphones and become a part of this new trend.

Thunder & Rain

Hair Brush

Someone sound like Bob Ross

Thumbnail photo by: Valentina Calosci, Flickr

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