Binaural ASMR, small brain orgasms caused by YouTube videos

A new fad based on visual and auditory stimuli.

Videos of kittens, fragments of series and movies, gameplays, video clips... YouTube is the realm of the moving image and has become so popular that it has gradually stolen viewers from the television. However, in some of the videos that we can find on this website the image is a secondary element and all the protagonism falls on the sound.

It is precisely these small corners of YouTube that are multiplying a type of content in which the sound produces such intense sensations that it is enough on its own to guarantee hundreds of thousands of views. And no, we are not talking about music videos. We are referring to the recordings Binaural ASMRa new phenomenon related to psychology, new technologies and communities formed on the Internet.

Defining the "ASMR" concept

ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Responsethat is, autonomous sensory meridian response. This opaque combination of words is an attempt to define a Biological phenomenon that is difficult to explain. It is a pleasurable pleasurable sensation associated with a tingling sensation that runs through the head and parts of the back of the neck and back and is produced by a mixture of auditory and visual stimuli. mixture of auditory, visual and cognitive stimuli..

The subjective state referred to by the term ASMR is something like the sensation produced by massage based not on contact with different surfaces, but by the surround sound, imagery and psychological feedback that it all produces. Another more intuitive way of referring to ASMR is that of "cerebral orgasms"..

Its origin can be traced back to social networks

The curious thing about ASMR is how recently it was discovered. The term first appeared in early 2010 on a Facebook page, although the concept to which the acronym refers had already been raised and discussed in various Internet forums two years earlier. Since the phenomena have been known to exist, videos have proliferated in which "ASMR artists" experiment with the sound of their voices and objects to trigger ASMR responses in their audiences.

The result? A relatively well-networked online community and that, despite its youth, is gaining followers by leaps and bounds.

What are ASMR videos?

ASMR is the label we use to refer to this biological phenomenon, but it is also used to refer to videos designed to induce pleasurable states. videos that are designed to induce pleasurable states of this of this type on the viewer. To achieve this effect, people who are fond of creating this type of content use microphones prepared to capture sound in three dimensions (binaural listening systems) to create an enveloping sensation in the listener who puts on headphones.

It is also common to use whispers and repetitive sound patterns to create a kind of massage that is transmitted by sound waves. Binaural ASMR videos are characterized by being relatively long, without unexpected noises and based on sounds at low volume and without shrillness. In addition, for a more immersive feeling, it is normal for the videos to be thematic and include some role-playing.

Here is a short presentation on the idea of ASMR:

What are ASRM videos for?

Youtubers interested in the world of ASMR videos tend to attribute them as useful for enhancing relaxation and meditation sessions, facilitating sleep, or simply offering sound-based pleasure. But... do these recordings really work? The truth is that some people are more likely than others to experience this kind of pleasant tingling, and there are even those who are unable to notice anything.

In addition, there is a great lack of scientific research regarding the study of sensations and patterns of neural and hormonal activation triggered by ASMR sessions. However, this is because the idea of ASMR has only recently become known, not because the videos used to produce it don't work. Anyway, it is very difficult to study something for which no theoretical model has been established to explain how it works, so it seems that we will have to wait a while to see promising lines of research in this sense.

And finally... some more examples

It is possible to create ASMR videos based on touching objects, like the following one:

This one emulates an ASMR hairdressing session:

This youtuber gets thousands of weekly views for creating ASMR videos in which she appears whispering in Polish: