I don't get ASMR videos. · 2:21am Apr 21st, 2015
I mean, don't get me wrong, I happen to think ASMR reactions are a real thing, despite the doubts of many in the psychological community, mostly because I get them all the time. No, what I don't get are the many and various ASMR videos on YouTube, because if they're any indication, most people who experience the happy-scalp-tingle do so in response to completely different stimuli than what creates such a response in me. Crinkling papers? Snipping hair? Whispering? Not for me.
No, what seems to create the ASMR state of mind for me are long, often layered droning noises and repeated, though slightly varied melodies. Volume doesn't even enter into the equation; in fact it's often when I'm listening to relatively loud music that it happens.
Actually, maybe an example of what I'm talking about would be better than trying to explain something that I'm not entirely sure of myself.
It's as you said, the varied stimuli matter. I really like...Gentle Whispering, I believe it is, because the voice in particular really just is super relaxing to listen to!
Weird. I had to look that up and I've had that feeling, sure. But it was always a reaction to stories or thoughts not random stimuli- even music that produces it fairly reliable is music that I associate with a strong story.
Huh?
White noise is just great for feeling at ease.
I would love an ASMR video by Steve Blum
Eh, if you have a fond memory that is triggered by a given stimulus, then sure... But why give it a pseudo-psychological name? The sound and balsam-heavy scent of a warm breeze wind through evergreen trees reminds me of a mountain resort that has probably ceased to exist and which was probably never as lovely as my childhood memories paint it. That's all it is, though. A happy memory. Enjoy it ...and go on with your life.
3002889 - It's not a fond memory of a prickly feeling spreading across my scalp; it's an actual prickly feeling spreading across my scalp. The reason for the pseudoscientific name is that the experience is common to a lot of people, who all describe it in roughly the same way. (However, because only part of the population experiences it, there's currently no way to observe it objectively, though a few psychologists think that it might simply be people entering into a meditative state without actually trying.)
3002560
I have a similar experience. Until I saw this blog, I had no idea what this was. But I'm pretty sure I've experienced this several times before while listening to church music... music associated with a story.
3003131
I don't know if it's the feeling I'm thinking of, I was always under impression the hair on my scalp was actually shifting a little, which one would think would be measurable, though perhaps that's an illusion. I know the hair on my arms can shift from laying down to standing based on stimuli, so it could be actually happening.
3003131
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was suggesting that the fond memory was causing the prickling feeling on one's scalp, by inducing a physiological reaction in the scalp ...something similar to "goose-bumps."
Memories so old that one no longer remembers the incident, can still induce reactions. For instance, though I haven't a clue why the sound of a heavy truck compression-braking in the distance induces a restful feeling in me, but it does. I can only guess that during my early childhood my family lived in a place where that was a common sound at night, and some part of my mind still thinks "I'm home" when I hear it.
So... Philip Glass then?
(Courtesy of Bang On A Can)
(Come to think of it, I feel a sense of deja vu. Was it you or someone else that I cannot recall that brought up Mr. Glass before?)
3005555 - It was indeed me, and those are the songs I mentioned in that blog post.
3007838
I so unintentionally recommended back to you the very songs you recommended to us? Well I certainly feel silly now.
If that is the case, the ASMR tingles would make for a great positive feedback mechanism...