The Squishy Science Behind ASMR

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2019

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The science is nascent and a little squishy, but researchers like Giulia Poerio are trying to better understand ASMR — a feeling triggered in the brains of some people by whispering, soft tapping, and delicate gestures. She explains how it works, and tells reporter Emily Kwong why slime might be an Internet fad that is, for some, a sensory pleasure-trigger.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:05.6	Maddie Sifaya here with our very own Shortwave reporter and sometimes host Emily Quang, Greetings
0:12.1	Emily Quang.
0:13.1	Hi, Maddie.
0:14.1	I-I am-Hello.
0:16.1	Why are we whispering?
0:19.1	Because today's episode is about ASMR.
0:23.1	I'm going to get out of whisper mode for a moment.
0:25.5	Wait, it was creepy me out.
0:26.6	I can't explain Mewtwo.
0:28.2	With a quick story from a scientist in the UK named Julia.
0:31.3	My name is Julia Poerio.
0:33.1	I am-I haven't thought about my age.
0:35.1	I'm 31.
0:37.1	Julia is about to start lecturing at the University of Essex this winter.
0:40.6	And she still remembers vividly, being a little girl.
0:44.3	And occasionally she would get this very distinct feeling in certain situations.
0:48.8	Really early examples would be things like watching my mum brush her hair or put her
0:52.6	makeup on, getting my feet bit measured for school shoes, a teacher explaining something
0:58.6	to me really carefully.
1:00.6	And Maddie, in situations like these, she would enter this trans-like state of relaxation.
1:07.7	The feeling itself is a warm tingling sensation that starts at the crown of her head almost
	...

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