Abstract
Researchers have examined autonomous sensory meridian responses (ASMRs) focusing on known experiencers and the nuances surrounding those occurrences. This exploratory study was developed in response to existing ASMR research focusing on individuals who were not necessarily known ASMR experiencers. My goal was to better understand whether these synesthesial responses affected a student’s education. There were no statistical differences among participants. However, more students responded that they experienced a reaction to specific sounds but did not believe they experienced ASMR. In open-ended responses, the primary themes surrounded empathy, resources, and negative perceptions as the response to the impact of ASMR on education and benefits offered through disability resource center (DRC).
Introduction
Recently, autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) has become a hot topic for research although the responses and behaviors are not new. According to Woolfe (1925), Septimus felt his spine “rasped” and shivers move up to his brain when the nursemaid spoke. ASMR has been discussed under the umbrellas of synesthesia and misophonia. Synesthesia has been defined as a neurological condition in which the body reacts involuntarily to another, unrelated sensory experience (Marlow, 2013). Misophonia has been defined similarly in that a sound or auditory trigger can elicit a negative experience within the individual (Jastreboof & Jastreboof, 2002). Google Trends (2020) showed a spike in ASMR searches in February of 2019 (see Figure 1). Although the trend tapered, there is still an interest in this phenomenon.
Google Trends (2020): Showing interest over time in ASMR.
Recently, a research study was conducted regarding ASMR and student perceptions. More specifically, I was interested in understanding how the students comprehended their ASMR experience and education. Do participants believe that sound responses, or ASMR experiences, impact their education? I wanted to understand whether participants believed that the disability resource center (DRC) at a Western University could implement protocols assisting students who experience ASMR. For the purposes of this study, I focused on the connection between ASMR experiences and educational perception.
Literature Review
Barratt and Davis (2015) attempted one of the first ASMR research projects. They included variables such as chronic illness and medication consumption as well as psychological inventories like the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). They focused on individuals who identified as experiencing ASMR. The participants for the study were part of ASMR groups such as the groups found on RedIt. They found that most individuals watched videos as a means of reducing feelings of stress and sleeping aids. Participants who scored higher (more depression) on the BDI and individuals who experienced more pain reported more benefit from ASMR medial. Furthermore, Barratt and Davis posited that future research should not only focus on individuals who identify as experiencing ASMR but nonexperiencers as well. For the purposes of this research, I did not seek out individuals who identified as “known experiencers” of ASMR.
Fredborg et al. (2017) posited similar findings as Barratt and Davis (2015). Fredborg et al. indicated that there were specific triggers for experiencing ASMR tingles. They expanded the Barratt and Davis’s findings by adding the Big Five Inventory (BFI) personality traits. Not only did Fredborg et al. find specific triggers; they also found that individuals who identified as experiencing ASMR tended to rank high on the neuroticism, openness, and agreeableness scales. Fredborg et al. leaned toward the idea that the BFI scores could predict ASMR experience. In other words, individuals who have higher scores on the BFI inventories for neuroticism, openness, and agreeableness will more likely than others to experience ASMR tingles. Janik McErlean and Banissy (2017) studied ASMR experiences similar to Fredborg et al. (2017). They included the BFI, triggers, and videos. Janik McErlean and Banissy’s findings supported the previous study. Individuals who scored high on neuroticism, openness, and agreeableness were correlated with experiencing ASMR tingles. The findings from these two previous studies could lead to a regression model that would predict ASMR.
Poerio et al. (2018) focused on the effects of videos on ASMR experiencers. They indicated that videos provided experiencers with reduced heart rates, and improved mental and physical health. Their overall findings indicated that individuals who experience ASMR are correlated with positive emotional and physiological responses. This is an important component to the research. Although there may be a correlation between personality traits and ASMR, there are reports of the synesthesial responses in the body of the experiencers. Calming is just one of the reported experiences. If individuals feel calmer after watching ASMR type videos, this could have an impact on reducing test anxiety among students.
Each of the articles discussed focused on groups who identified as having ASMR. Individuals who have certain personality traits may have an ASMR proclivity. However, without the inclusion of non-ASMR experiencing variable, this is difficult to determine.
Study Design
I developed a questionnaire based upon the types of designs used in previous research. The questionnaire is part of a larger study. For this portion of the study, I focused on demographic information, whether participants experienced a sound reaction brought about through some external source, whether they experienced an ASMR, and their perceptions about ASMR and education. Participants were asked whether they had any experiences or engagement with the services offered through the DRC. Finally, the participants were asked whether the DRC could assist students with their ASMR experiences. The questionnaire was developed in Qualtrics and hosted through a Western University’s online research program. All participants within the University had the opportunity to participate in the study. The questions addressed in this study were presented in the appendix.
Participants
All University students could participant in the study. No exclusions were based upon class level (freshman, senior, graduate student, etc.). All participants who responded “Yes” to participate in the study were issued a random identification number. A total of 564 participants indicated that they would participate in the study. Forty participants were removed from the study for nonparticipation. Although these individuals replied that they would participate in the study, they did not answer any subsequent questions. For instance, Participant 6425 responded with a “Yes” to participating in the study; however, that was the only question answered. Another 11 participants were removed from the study because they did not answer either sound question. The majority of students fell between 18 and 24 years of age (n = 413). Five individuals self-identified as other or nonbinary, 375 identified as female, and 133 identified as male.
Participants were asked a general synesthesia-type question: Do sounds elicit any physical reaction? Participants were divided, 294 did not have a reaction and 219 did (n = 11, missing). When asked specifically whether participants experienced ASMR, 307 indicated that they did not have an ASMR experience and 206 indicated that they did. Many students indicated that they did not use DRC services (n = 190). Although there were 513 participants, 307 did not respond to the use of DRC services. Table 1 provided an overview of the frequencies.
Descriptive Statistics and Characteristics of Participants.
Note. ASMR = autonomous sensory meridian response.
Analysis
Chi-square demonstrated that the variables are equally distributed and no cells have less than five expected frequencies, χ2(1) = 146.971, p < .001. Participants answered the sound response differently than when asked specifically about ASMR experiences. These responses were significantly monotonously related (r = .571, p < .01).
Because the dependent variable was not continuous, nonparametric statistics were used. ASMR experiences or sound responses had no statistical impact on participant DRC use, χ2(1) = 1.043, p = .307. The research question was not satisfactorily answered. Individuals who had a sound response or experienced ASMR indicated that ASMR had no impact on their education.
Qualitative Assessment
Although participants did not indicate that ASMR has an impact on education, several participants indicated ways in which ASMR affected their education (n = 197). For instance, participants indicated that they needed assistance getting to sleep or getting to sleep faster. Others indicated that they used videos to deal with stress or mental illness that does have an impact on their education. Concentration was the final major theme connected to ASMR experience and education.
Most participants did not use the services offered by the DRC (n = 190), nor did the majority of participants find the DRC helpful (n = 163). Although many participants did not make use of DRC services, they expressed ideas about ASMR and DRC services. Participants were asked whether they would benefit from the DRC resources in regard to experiencing ASMR. Twenty-one of the participants indicated that they could potentially benefit from the services offered by the DRC. In addition, participants were asked to explain which services could be beneficial. Empathy was a common theme that arose from these participants. Individuals responded that they believed that the DRC could be useful for someone else, but not the participant. The next common theme was having resources that would trigger an experience. Another theme that presented were negative perceptions surrounding ASMR experiences. The final common response was that the DRC was not needed because of ASMR experiences.
Empathy
Empathy was the most common thematic responses. Individuals who were empathetic focused on how the DRC could assist others with a number of issues. For instance, participants stated as follows:
Participant 1639: “It may help but I do not think I am a great candidate for the program.”
Participant 1356: “It could possibly help relieve stress or anxiety if someone has those issues.”
Participant 9094: “I don’t really watch a lot of ASMR so I don’t think that I would need any assistance but I feel that they could be a lot of help to someone else.”
Participant 9918: “I don’t believe that the DRC could be of assistance to me because I don’t experience any issues with my ASMR watching. However, I do believe that the DRC could assist someone who is experiencing disabilities or issues that are occurring because of their ASMR watching.”
Participant 1258: “[I]it could be used to relax stressed out or tense students.”
Participant 5384: “It would clam people down, center their attention and focus, relive stress and anxiety[.]”
Participant 9901: “I believe the DRC is assisting to student’s academic achievement when they are going through a rough time and need help.”
Participant 1318: “I think the DRC could be helpful for people who experience ASMR strongly and therefore, can’t focus because of the sensations.”
Participant 2024: “I don’t think it would personally help me but ASMR could calm someone down having an anxiety attack[.]”
Suggested resources
Another common response surrounded ideas of resources. In other words, individuals made suggestions about how the DRC could help others. Some individuals suggested that the DRC provide ASMR experiences to individuals with anxiety. Other resources included the following:
Participant 2602: “Maybe certain ASMR videos on the DRC website that students can access whenever they want.”
Participant 3327: “Hard to say, I suppose it would be helpful if the DRC could provide me with an ASMR gf to whisper sweet nothings into my ear and tell me that everything is going to be okay.”
Participant 9901: “The DRC could assist with ASMR experienced by providing videos or programs to help ease student’s worries or anxiety.”
Participant 2787: “By having objects presented to us so we can trigger our favorite ASMR tingles.”
Negative perceptions
In the literature I reviewed, ASMR experiences have been discussed as positive. The research has suggested that individuals who have these experiences like the feelings. However, respondents in this study indicated that this is not an enjoyable experience. Although this was a less common theme, there were some negative comments about the ASMR experience, such as the following:
Participant 3145: “ . . . I feel like a person suffering from a mental health problem (stress, anxiety, etc.) may be able to reduce the severity of their symptoms using ASMR . . .”
Participant 5546: “The DRC could assist with my ASMR experiences by helping me find ways to go to sleep without watching ASMR videos.”
Participant 1318: “ASMR just grosses me out and makes me uncomfortable but it does not inhibit my learning or focus[.]”
DRC not needed
Finally, individuals indicated that the DRC was not needed. Some individuals did not need it for themselves, nor did they need any assistance managing ASMR:
Participant 6770: “I don’t use DRC services[.]”
Participant 9423: “I do not believe in DRC[.]”
Participant 3353: “I am not interested at the moment, but thank you.”
Conclusion
This current research project was exploratory. This study provided a glimpse into the ASMR experience and education. More research will need to be conducted with a focus on using ASMR videos to reduce anxiety and other issues related to test taking and other educational stressors. Janik McErlean and Banissy (2017) conducted their study with participants who were self-reporting ASMR experiencers. In their research, they indicated that it would be important to survey novice experiencers or those who do not identify as experiencing ASMR. In the current study, students from Western University were surveyed. I had no prior knowledge of who may have experienced ASMR before the study.
Two specific issues arose from the study. The first was about participant responses to synesthesia-type questions compared with ASMR-specific questions. The second was the potential psychological distress that some individuals who experience ASMR may have. When asked about general sounds and feelings, more individuals indicated that they had these experience. However, they indicated that they did not have/experience ASMR. In other words, 219 participants indicated that they had a reaction to specific sounds. Conversely, only 206 indicated that they experienced ASMR. This is important because, although I did not examine this in the current study, there may be a connotation associated with ASMR. Individuals may not want to admit to experiencing ASMR, especially in an academic setting. This should be examined in more detail in future studies. In the future, it might be more exact, when conducting research with ASMR novice or non-ASMR experiencers, to focus on synesthesia-type questions and triggers more generally than ASMR-specific. It would be necessary, if using synesthesia only, to include questions about triggers and responses to gain a better understanding of the participants’ experiences. Finally, 16 of the participants did not know whether they experienced ASMR (might or might not). This could be tied to this idea of a negative connotation associated with ASMR because each of the 13 had answered in the affirmative about having a reaction to specific sounds. Furthermore, five individuals stated that they experienced a reaction to sounds, although three of those individuals stated that they probably did not experience ASMR. If this is not related to connotations or perceptions, individuals may have the neurological disorder of Synesthesia and could require medical attention. More attention will need to be paid to this nuance in the questions and the phenomena experienced by participants.
One of the participants in the current study stated that they would like assistance to be able to sleep without having to use ASMR videos. This is especially disconcerting coupled with the responses rates to ASMR-specific questions. Many individuals and previous researchers have discussed the ASMR experiences as positive sensations that individuals enjoy; although this may be the trend, others are not enchanted by the triggered responses. This maybe a direction for future research. It is going to be important to address the needs of individuals who find ASMR experiences disheartening. For instance, one individual thought that too much time was spent with videos and experiencing ASMR. This, coupled with the change in sound responses versus ASRM experience is important. Another individual mentioned wanting assistance in sleeping without inducing an ASMR experience.
One final note, I do not believe an ASMR experience is negative, nor do I believe that ASMR is a disability. However, it is important to understand how experiencers discuss their impressions of ASMR. Furthermore, it is important to offer resources to students that can aid them in their academic success.
Footnotes
Appendix
Which gender to you identify as?
How old are you?
When you hear specific sounds, such as whispering or crumpling paper, do you experience any tingling sensations in any part of the body?
ASMR is a physical, vivid occurrence in which individuals experience a tingling sensation in their head/scalp, back, arms/legs, and so on when they hear/see others manipulate objects/hear whispering “directed” to them. Do you experience ASMR?
Do you make use of the University’s Disability Resource Center (DRC)?
Are the DRC resources helpful to you?
Do you think that experiencing ASMR has an impact on your education?
If you experience ASMR, do you think you would benefit from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) Services?
If you believe that the DRC could be of assistance, explain what services would be beneficial to you. How could the DRC assist with your ASMR experiences?
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
