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Grace:

Hi, I’m Grace Poster reporting for the Triton Voice.

For the next couple minutes, I’d like you to think about the sounds around you. Do specific sounds mean anything to you? Do they make you feel a certain way, or recall a particular memory? What is special about these sounds?

Anonymous:

It’s supposed to give you the “tingles” and pretty much it’s supposed to relax you and make you feel good.

Grace:

This is a Triton senior, and perhaps you already know what she is discussing, or maybe not. I would explain it to you, but it’s probably best to leave it to a professional.

Gentle Whispering:

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It’s a pleasant, tingling feeling that you experience when you hear unique soft voices, or hear certain soothing sounds, such as tapping.

Grace:

Maria Viktorovna, known on YouTube as GentleWhispering, is explaining what is often shortened to ASMR. If you do not know what ASMR is, you may be wondering why anyone would care to listen to seemingly random sounds and whispers. And you’re right, they are often quite random, however the way many persons experience these noises is truly unique.

Lydia Crowley:

I would occasionally go on YouTube or you know, just like Instagram and whatnot and just be scrolling through me feed and see these videos and be like “what are these.”

Grace:

Here, Triton senior Lydia Crowley mentioned how frequently she listens to ASMR.

Lydia Crowley:

And I click on them and I’m like why are these so satisfying and calming. And so it got to the point where I just kind of watch it before I go to bed every night, and now it’s like integrated into my life, kind of.

Grace:

Through the interviews Triton Voice held discussing this subject, it appeared that ASMR meant many things to many people, ranging from an anxiety reducer to a source of humor.

Anonymous:

So, originally I made a joke kind of an ASMR video when I was at work because I hate my coworker and I thought it would be fun to do because, like, you know, something to do other than be with her. So that video is pretty funny and I sent the link to my private snapchat story and people were like “what the heck is that” but they clicked on it anyways. People thought it was like kind of funny. I make them as a parody, a joke, it’s not serious.

Grace:

For many, though, it is serious. ASMR producers, otherwise known as ASMrtists, are all the rage on YouTube, the website where many upload videos ranging from minutes to hours, tapping , whispering, or doing other activities to intrigue listeners’ ears.

Anonymous:

I don’t really watch it that much, but LifeWithMack, or LifeAs—no it’s LifeWithMack, um she likes really young and she does them and I think they’re funny, so I watch them ‘cause she has like funny commentary in them. I see her on Instagram a lot ‘cause there’s like memes of her.

Grace:

Many in the ASMR community credit ASMR’s birth to the 2007 “Weird Sensation Feels Good” forum on steadyhealth.com Just a few years later, on March 26th of 2009, the first whispering channel, WhisperingLife, was established. Since then, ASMR has snowballed into a blossoming community on YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms. On YouTube, there is an infinite amount of videos that come up under a simple search “ASMR,” and countless ASMrtists, who can rack up millions of followers, such as ASMR Darling, who currently has a following of approximately 2.5 million.

Lydia Crowley:

It, like, helps my anxiety, as odd as it sounds.

Grace:

Crowley mention ASMR is often a relaxation device, or an outlet for her anxiety that can even reduce restlessness at night.

Lydia Crowley:

It does help calm the brain down quite a bit.

Grace:

Many have a belief that ASMR is strange. However, maybe if we listen closely to those who truly believe in its soothing effects, we may come to a better understanding of why others listen to it. Thank you for listening to today’s podcast, for more of my articles, please visit the TritonVoice.co website. Signing off, this is Grace Poster.