The Emerging Science of ASMR (Encore)
The Science of Happiness
PRX and Greater Good Science Center
4.4 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 10 November 2022
⏱️ 19 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
There are millions of YouTube videos with people crinkling bubble wrap or whispering about folding laundry. Our guest talks about why autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) makes her, and many others, feel more calm and happy.
Episode summary:
Melinda still remembers the tingling feeling she felt when she first listened to the close-up sound of someone drawing on a TV show at the age of ten. She learned later that the subtle sounds that create soothing sensations for her are called autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR. Now, she creates ASMR experiences on her YouTube channel and through her live production company, Whisperlodge — from delicately handling a plastic package to gently stroking a microphone with a makeup brush. In today's show, Melinda demystifies the world of ASMR and how it brings both calm and delight to her and her participants. Later, we hear about the emerging science behind ASMR from Dr. Giulia Poerio, who studies it in her lab at the University of Essex. As it turns out, those tingles might actually benefit our mental health.
Today’s Science of Happiness Guests:
Melinda Lauw, is the co-creator of Whisperlodge, an immersive ASMR theater experience.
Check out some ASMR videos from Whisperlodge's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Whisperlodge
Learn more about Whisperlodge: https://whisperlodge.nyc/
Follow Melinda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melinda.lauw/
Follow Melinda on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melindalauw
Giulia Poerio is a psychology professor at the University of Essex who studies the effects of ASMR on the mind and body.
Learn more about her work: https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/poeri14804/giulia-poerio
Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:
Listen to our Happiness Break on silence: https://tinyurl.com/2hny7pcd
Just One Thing: Pay Attention!: https://tinyurl.com/cm2xb86j
What Music Looks Like in the Brain: https://tinyurl.com/2k9t3sjz
Does Your Voice Reveal More Emotion Than Your Face?: https://tinyurl.com/ympr4brk
More Resources for ASMR:
TED - The brain science (and benefits) of ASMR: https://tinyurl.com/y8a89xv3
Vox - ASMR, explained: why millions of people are watching YouTube videos of someone whispering: https://tinyurl.com/4j4kn7dh
New York Times - How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation: https://tinyurl.com/2jke45k5
NPR - Some People Get 'Brain Tingles' From These Slime Videos. What's Behind The Feeling?: https://tinyurl.com/2p8p4u7d
National Geographic - ASMR or not? Unpicking the science behind a sensory phenomenon: https://tinyurl.com/yvnvuzk5
Tell us your thoughts about ASMR. Do you get tingly sensations? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness!
Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hi, everyone. |
| 0:10.0 | My name is Melinda. |
| 0:18.0 | Hi, I'm Dacker Keltner, and this is The Science of Happiness. |
| 0:44.4 | This week we're replaying a favorite episode of art about whispering sounds and gentle touch, |
| 0:50.1 | and why they make a lot of us happy. |
| 0:52.1 | Autonomous sensory meridian response, better known as ASMR, is a soothing sensation |
| 0:58.7 | triggered by visual, audio, and physical stimuli. |
| 1:02.0 | And in the last few years, interest in ASMR has exploded. |
| 1:06.1 | There are millions of videos offering these experiences online, and scientists are getting |
| 1:10.7 | into the game and trying to figure out what it is and what its therapeutic benefits are. |
| 1:15.7 | We found that people who say they experience ASMR show significant reductions in their |
| 1:21.5 | heart rate when they watch ASMR videos. |
| 1:24.1 | More on ASMR after this message from our sponsors. |
| 1:35.0 | We talk about the value of a good night's sleep a lot on the science of happiness. |
| 1:39.2 | All the benefits it provides your mind and body. |
| 1:42.4 | If you've been looking for soundtracks that promote deep and restful sleep for you |
| 1:46.1 | or your child, head over to 12HoursSoundMachines.com and click on episode index. |
| 1:53.5 | Created by a dad looking for uninterrupted sounds for his baby to sleep to, the podcast launches |
| 1:59.3 | three new episodes each week and has sound machines tailored for a variety of needs, from |
| 2:05.0 | sleeping better to thoughtful meditation to anxiety management. |
| 2:09.4 | Join the 1.3 million people who listen in each week and find the sounds and beats their |
| 2:14.2 | work best for you at 12HoursSoundMachines.com. |
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