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Things that make your brain tingle [ASMR/ oddly satisfying/ relaxing stuff] thread
beavotron
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So...some of you have probably heard of this. especially if you frequent reddit. it's also picked up quite a bit of press in the past year.
last year NPR did a segment on ASMR - Autonomous sensory meridian response
it's a somewhat rare thing (10% of the population have it apparently) where certain stimuli give you a euphoric sensation and a distinct tingling feeling in the back of your head. most people who don't have it assume it's something sexual or fetishized which it's not. the sensation is more hypnotic/calming than anything.
i've had this since i was very little and i always just thought i was weird. Since discovering what it is, i've used it to basically lull myself to sleep at night. I watch some videos of people carefully doing things with their hands and within seconds i'm basically out cold. it's incredible.
there are all sorts of things that can trigger this. it's primarily sounds though many people are triggered by visual things as well
so for instance, one of the biggest triggers I have is people bagging groceries. Particularly in paper bags. Also unboxing videos particularly if no one is talking.
common triggers are:
Bob Ross:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8HfA9K7SL5M
whispering/soft voices/accents/foreign language:
http://youtu.be/WDtYTwA6BEE
scratching/tapping/crinkling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE8omA3_3yc
page turning
https://youtube.com/watch?v=KRkq_ZSb3U8
close personal attention/medical examinations
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ats8-tVfz28&index=28&list=UUKe9F6wb8fCGj5oqEzeFCHQ
careful concentration on a task/artisan videos
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7tt7NBIVeMY&t=21s
unboxings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q96NeclcdpM&list=PLmyd_SwcR_yMubEI2z262f5arK0eDjw65&index=3
and there are basically two major categories. Unintentional which is what Bob Ross is. Bob Ross isn't trying to trigger ASMR, he just sort of does with his soothing voice and careful brush strokes
Intentional are done by people who call themselves ASMRtists. they make videos with the direct intention of triggering a response.
Something that's fairly similar for those who don't actually have this thing is oddly satisfying which there is also a subreddit dedicated to
these are things that for whatever reason just feel really nice to watch
they satisfy the ocd in most people:
Oddly satisfying:
when the wrapping paper lines up:
and oh my god this:
I usually go to reddit for my asmrs but the community is bloody massive at this point and it's hard to sift through.
so i'm bringing the asmrs/oddly satisfyings here where we can share them/talk about how awesome it is (bogey approved thread... though he had no idea what it was i was talking about so maybe he'll regret this.)
this can also just be about things that you find generally soothing/satisfying/helpful for sleeping or relaxing. it's a hectic time of year, we can all use things that calm us down/help us sleep
last year NPR did a segment on ASMR - Autonomous sensory meridian response
it's a somewhat rare thing (10% of the population have it apparently) where certain stimuli give you a euphoric sensation and a distinct tingling feeling in the back of your head. most people who don't have it assume it's something sexual or fetishized which it's not. the sensation is more hypnotic/calming than anything.
i've had this since i was very little and i always just thought i was weird. Since discovering what it is, i've used it to basically lull myself to sleep at night. I watch some videos of people carefully doing things with their hands and within seconds i'm basically out cold. it's incredible.
there are all sorts of things that can trigger this. it's primarily sounds though many people are triggered by visual things as well
so for instance, one of the biggest triggers I have is people bagging groceries. Particularly in paper bags. Also unboxing videos particularly if no one is talking.
common triggers are:
Bob Ross:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8HfA9K7SL5Mwhispering/soft voices/accents/foreign language:
http://youtu.be/WDtYTwA6BEEscratching/tapping/crinkling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE8omA3_3ycpage turning
https://youtube.com/watch?v=KRkq_ZSb3U8close personal attention/medical examinations
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ats8-tVfz28&index=28&list=UUKe9F6wb8fCGj5oqEzeFCHQcareful concentration on a task/artisan videos
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7tt7NBIVeMY&t=21sunboxings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q96NeclcdpM&list=PLmyd_SwcR_yMubEI2z262f5arK0eDjw65&index=3and there are basically two major categories. Unintentional which is what Bob Ross is. Bob Ross isn't trying to trigger ASMR, he just sort of does with his soothing voice and careful brush strokes
Intentional are done by people who call themselves ASMRtists. they make videos with the direct intention of triggering a response.
Something that's fairly similar for those who don't actually have this thing is oddly satisfying which there is also a subreddit dedicated to
these are things that for whatever reason just feel really nice to watch
they satisfy the ocd in most people:
Oddly satisfying:
when the wrapping paper lines up:
and oh my god this:
I usually go to reddit for my asmrs but the community is bloody massive at this point and it's hard to sift through.
so i'm bringing the asmrs/oddly satisfyings here where we can share them/talk about how awesome it is (bogey approved thread... though he had no idea what it was i was talking about so maybe he'll regret this.)
this can also just be about things that you find generally soothing/satisfying/helpful for sleeping or relaxing. it's a hectic time of year, we can all use things that calm us down/help us sleep
beavotron on
+2
Posts
YouTube is a great resource, and I'm glad this is starting to get more attention because I'd love for someone to actually conduct a study, try to figure out what exactly causes it and why.
I'm at work so I can't post links but YouTube's GentleWhispering, HeatherFeather, and QueenofSerene are my three favorites and put out the most consistently triggering content for me.
I'm usually a sounds kinda guy - accents and foreign languages (especially Chinese, Chinese GETS me), but oddly enough I've had a few visual triggers today, most notably a coworker carrying her lunch carefully across the break room.
But it's actually completely harmless if just a bit weird.
i tend to prefer unintentional videos like bob ross.
or videos of people speaking foreign languages because then it doesn't feel quite so creepy
a lot of the controversy behind it also comes from the fact that a handful of ASMRists have a tendency to sexualize it quite a bit. as far as i know they're fairly open about it
there are of course people who think of it as a sexual thing...there are some people who think of cheese as a sexual thing so what can you do.
personal favorite unintentional videos:
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
and so is fascinating
but sticking my hands in big bucket of bb's or steel balls used in ball bearings is somehow soothing
Quiet, meditative things; ASMR stuff; it makes me very anxious
I have no idea why
i am so interested in the science behind why it happens for some and can do the opposite for others but because it's mostly anecdotal and people have only been putting a name to it for the past few years, any real research is hard to find
a bunch of universities have been attempting research on it recently. they're constantly asking for people to join their trials in the subreddit.
it's fun to try to find references to it in pop culture
amelie for instance. the little pleasures she describes in the beginning seem suspiciously like asmr/oddly satisfying type things.
I don't know but you also said that hangovers relax you and make you feel mellow so my working theory is you're an alien
No particularly noticeable effect one way or the other. I tend to be concerned more with whether or not I have to go out in it.
The only thing that ever relaxes me and slows me down, and this is going to sound completely insane, is a hangover. My hangovers are never the vomity/headachey kinds - mine just make my head feel filled with cotton, and cause me to be a little more satisfied with simple pleasures, a little more languid, a little more content.
I think the main takeaway from all of this is that the wiring in my brain is totally batshit
Edit: hahaha, I've apparently discussed this before
edit: with nice fingernails. nice fingernails are a mega trigger.
Like tam I don't get the asmr thing but there is something really great about plunging your hands into like a bin of dry rice or grains.
I ghosted you to describing your own freakiness
what does this mean
You should try a hangover
Nothing good, I'd wager
Oh deffo, grains work too
but the effect of 4mm steel or copper is amazing
Oh wow me too
Not hangovers, those are awful. But really bad asthma or pneumonia, is almost pleasant. Because I can finally tell my brain to de-prioritize basically everything and just concentrate on breathing, or trying to have a shower, or making tea
Being sick is meditation for the incurably neurotic.
How It's Made is basically crack to me
edit: er, well, actually, I guess the exact opposite of crack in immediate effect
I mean yes someone needs to be there in case, but also it's like crack to him
it's not ASMR triggering
i just think it's satisfying to watch
Watching someone make something with a sureness that transcends confidence is so completely hypnotic
I'd say the precision of a CNC machine is akin to that
When videos of those end, I feel like I'm coming out of a daze
beavo I had to go downstairs to the pantry and shove my hands into both big sacks of rice we have
mister rogers + machines = pure bliss.
also this lady rocks
http://www.youtube.com/user/WhispersUnicorn
good setup and voice
Show me a video of a vigorous head massage and I'm droolsville.
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Like all kinds of them.
I can't go on these kinds of rides. Rollercoasters are fine, but anything which just spins or swings makes me hurl. Whenever I go to a park with mates I am more than happy to just spectate though. Watching gigantic machines move makes me feel a kind of rush while also really zen. I dunno what it is.
Ahhhhh head massages
I despise having my head massaged or touched. Triggers my flight-or-fight reflex like whoa.
Now listen to Michelle Kwan play Metallica's One on a Guzheng
That into is really cool, power chords don't translate well though so the later parts aren't as good.
I dunno what it is but acoustic stringed instruments in particular always make my head feel all warm and tingly. Some electric ones too but usually on a clean tone, though obviously as a metal fan I also enjoy distortion just not the same way.
I guess I have sort of a weird thing like this
Which some people might think is gross so spoiler
not weird at all i love those. i find waaaay more people who are into that than who have asmr responses.
Does it still happen to you guys
It's so weird.
As far as what could be considered ASMR and soothing to me, it has to be Johnny Cash. There's a certain defined rhthym to his work, fast or slow, that I can measure with my heartbeat and my breath. He also has this weird quality for me where he's just enough out-of-key that his voice stands out from the instrumentation. His voice is like my grandfather's and it feels safe and comforting.
Finally, watching someone else play a video game will knock me the hell out if I'm not careful, especially if they're competent and in-the-zone. The repetitive sounds of success from the game and silence from the player is like a whole bottle of Nyquil at once.