You must have been confused with the title! But that's not the real meaning of #ASMR. Those words only represent the great effect of ASMR in my life. In reality, it stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.
What is ASMR?
National Sleep Foundation defines it as"a feeling of euphoric tingling and relaxation that can come over someone when he or she watches certain videos or hears certain sounds" (1).
You probably have great memories of feeling relaxed while someone scratches or combs your hair. Or you'd need an office ambient sound playing in the background to focus while working. It's also possible that the gentle splattering of the rain on the roof makes you slowly fall asleep.
This is how people looking for "tingles" began! Because it has been described as calming, focusing, or nostalgic. You will find people gently tapping, scratching, or cutting down a dozen of unexpected things to make sounds that produce tingles. The most common items are glass jars, slime, foam, kinetic sand, and bar soap.
Indeed the search for sounds and visuals began from simple tapping of empty jars to creating glittery and popping slime. For some #ASMRtists, they produce a full role-playing video mostly focused on taking care of you and giving you a relaxing time. But don't be surprised that you can also be a robot getting a top-to-toe cleaning service!
ASMR has been getting recognition in the recent years as well that even celebrities like Gal Gadot and Cardi B have their own take on this rising phenomenon. Taking the internet by storm, ASMR even became a favorite topic for documentaries. Exploring YouTube, you'd also find ASMR from specific scenes in movies. My earliest memory of a triggering sound was from the movie, "The Pianist", as Szpilman opens the loaf of bread and jam wrapped in newspaper.
Two Years and Counting
It was a stress-laden day at work but my head wasn't cooperating. I was experiencing a splitting headache and I felt like I would throw up anytime. There is a choice to just pack up and go home but I need to get things done for that day!
There's a ton of workload I've been trying to organize in my head. So I figured I need to re-focus. Maybe I should try to meditate. How does meditation work? By shutting down outside noise. I looked up 'headache relief music' and discovered binaural sounds. But I find three hours of flowing waters and bass beats similar to the background sounds of a video game you just paused. I feel like there's a resume button I need to find somewhere on the screen.
Intriguingly, I saw a video thumbnail of a girl with her hands towards the camera and intently looking at the audience. The title said, "ASMR What's In My Makeup Bag? Tapping and Brushing". Makeup is one thing I am surely interested in. But I was wondering, "Why is this girl whispering to me?" At first, it was weird. Although it did not take long after I've watched video after video and finally feeling more relaxed. My headache was gone.
This happened in 2017. Little did I know that I will be watching ASMR videos almost every night.
Now that you have an idea or two about ASMR, here is a list of my top favorite ASMRtists on YouTube!
5. Soy ASMR
Fun Fact: #SoyASMR studied and lived in the Philippines for ten years! That's why she speaks well in Tagalog! This multilingual ASMRtist is super adorable and she uploads in three languages which you can find in separate playlists on her channel. Remember the earphones that are always present in her videos and you'll know for sure that's Soy ASMR.
4. Latte ASMR
#LatteASMR is another multilingual ASMRtist. She speaks Korean, English, and Japanese. Lately, she has been uploading only a few times a month but it's always worth the wait. The videos are longer, say an hour and a half. Her intros are also a mini-movie of their own. It really sets the mood for relaxation. She also deserves praise for her curated set for each video. The backgrounds are always given so much effort by Latte ASMR.
3. Myaling ASMR
#MyalingASMR is one of the newest rising ASMRtists. She only started uploading videos about a year ago also focusing on themed makeup and skincare role-plays. Her first video is a showcase of her awesome Sailor Moon makeup collection. Get jealous with me and watch it here. Being a real ASMRtist, Myaling ASMR also provides timestamps in the comments section so you can choose which tingle to start-off your dozing session. The layered sound effects make her videos stand out together with Latte ASMR.
The "mum-we-wish-we-have" of the list. The #WhispersRedASMR channel is owned by English ASMRtist, Emma Smith. Her videos have zero background noise ever since she had her own at-home ASMR studio. She also has makeup and skincare videos. But I adored her for her talent in making me fall asleep just by unwrapping chocolate and tapping boxes of tea.
"Werrcome back!"
Those two words alone from TingTing makes us, her viewers, get into bed and plug in our earphones for a great ASMR experience. #TingTingASMR exudes grace and poise in every video which is essential in being an ASMRtist. A video with focused audio relies on the flow of the visual. Her "Chinese Princess" videos are my favorites! It's like transporting back to the dynasties era of Ancient China. She is proud of her heritage and includes it in her videos as much as she can. Her videos also averages around 30 minutes to upload. That's enough time for me to feel sleepy but still manage to get to the end of the video. And finish the storyline of the role-play.
Special Mentions:
Morpheus ASMR - He's like your gramps who always asks how your day went and gives you food that your mom does not allow.
ASMR Darling - The OG. The first ASMRtist I discovered! She helped me get through a day at work after curing my headache with her ASMR video!
Peaceful Cuisine - I tune in to this channel when I want to relax and probably eat something delicious after. If only cooking is actually that peaceful when I do it.
LULUPANG 루루팡 - Animated visuals of makeup/skincare routines combined with pre-recorded audio effects. Guess the familiar faces in every video!
WAY A _ 웨이A - Like LULUPANG, this channel is also full of animated ASMR videos and the artistry gets better and better each video upload.
rappeler하쁠리 - She's the only ASMR/Mukbang hybrid uploader I can stand. She also creates mini-intros to her ASMR videos. And her videos have closed captions (CC) in English!
As you may have noticed, I love Korean ASMRtists! (Except Tingting, the Chinese Princess.) They all have this peaceful aura and the gentle voices really put me to sleep. It's also probably not surprising that most views they have are skincare and makeup role-plays. The two things I live for!
My top ASMRtists are only a few of the growing community on YouTube. Some create items made from foam or slime and then destroy it after for the crushing and cracking sounds. Some upload an ASMR/Mukbang hybrid video.
Certainly, ASMR is something not all can get into. Yet. But to someone who experiences recurrent headaches, it's a gift. Not only it soothes headaches, but it has also helped people with anxiety and insomnia. You cannot dislike a video that gives peace and a good night's sleep to someone.
To start off in your ASMR journey, I've compiled a playlist of my go-to ASMR videos if I needed a good night's sleep. I hope it helps you calm down and finally get the sleep you need.
Drift-off to 'A Sweet Moonlight Rest' right here:
Sleep tight,
SOURCE/S:
(1) National Sleep Foundation. (-). What is ASMR? Retrieved from https://www.sleep.org/articles/what-is-asmr/