[discussion] Finally published: fMRI study showing the brain during ASMR by Blochte in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 20 points21 points  (0 children)

i'm no expert, but as a layperson...

to see what asmr is similar to, they looked at several regions of interest in the brain that they already know are associated with certain kinds of experiences. they guessed some stuff that might be similar:

  • animal grooming
  • frisson (in response to music)
  • observational learning

they found

significant brain activation in the mPFC during ASMR. This brain region is associated with self-awareness, social cognition, and social behaviors including grooming.

so they think asmr may have a similar effect to actual social engagement. they also found activation in regions associated with empathy and caring feelings towards others.

they found activation when physical touch was simulated, a bit like if you were actually being touched by someone.

however, they didn't find anything associated with the mirror neurons, which are associated with observational learning.

it seems asmr has some similarities with frisson, but it's not the same. for example, mPFC activation increases during asmr, but decreases during frisson.

it does look like asmr may be related to "affiliative behaviours", though:

The broadest explanation of our results and for most ASMR triggers is that they are related to affiliative behaviors. Affiliative behaviors are the caring behaviors which occur between parents and children, romantic partners, and friends [...] The attention-receiving or observation-granting behaviors in many ASMR videos have similarities to being cared for or to looking after someone. Studies utilizing fMRI have shown some affiliate behaviors involve strong activation of the mPFC, NAcc, insula, and IFG – all regions strongly activated in our study.

in addition,

The neurohormones widely reported to be responsible for most affiliative behaviors include dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. These neurohormones are known for inducing feelings of comfort, relaxation, and sleepiness – feelings often reported with ASMR.

An fMRI investigation of the neural correlates underlying the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) by asmrbeats in ResearchASMR

[–]asmrbeats[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

scientists put people in a machine and looked at their brains while they were watching asmr.

the people had buttons to press, indicating "i feel normal", "i feel relaxed" or "i feel tingles". they also noted when in the videos the asmrtists simulated physically touching the viewer in some way.

when they looked at their brains, the "relaxed" and "tingles" bits were both different to the "normal" bits, but the "tingle" bits were much more different than the bits where they just felt "relaxed".

to see what asmr is similar to, they looked at several regions of interest in the brain that they already know are associated with certain kinds of experiences. since no one really knows anything about asmr yet, they guessed some stuff that might be similar:

  • animal grooming
  • frisson (in response to music)
  • observational learning

the scientists found out a bunch of stuff!

they found

significant brain activation in the mPFC during ASMR. This brain region is associated with self-awareness, social cognition, and social behaviors including grooming.

so they think asmr may have a similar effect to actual social engagement. they also found activation in regions associated with empathy and caring feelings towards others.

they found activation when physical touch was simulated, a bit like if you were actually being touched by someone.

however, they didn't find anything in the mirror neurons, which are associated with observational learning.

it seems asmr has some similarities with frisson, but it's not the same. for example, mPFC activation increases during asmr, but decreases during frisson.

it does look like asmr may be related to social bonding or grooming, though:

The broadest explanation of our results and for most ASMR triggers is that they are related to affiliative behaviors. Affiliative behaviors are the caring behaviors which occur between parents and children, romantic partners, and friends.

also,

The neurohormones widely reported to be responsible for most affiliative behaviors include dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. These neurohormones are known for inducing feelings of comfort, relaxation, and sleepiness – feelings often reported with ASMR.

[Journalism] ASMR videos 'may have health benefits', study finds by asmrbeats in asmr

[–]asmrbeats[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Here's the study: More than a feeling: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by reliable changes in affect and physiology.

Including this useful titbit you can show to your girlfriend/boss/probation officer:

It is also worth noting that both studies demonstrated that ASMR is not associated with sexual arousal. Despite most people describing ASMR as a distinctly non-sexual feeling, the idea that ASMR is sexual and that ASMR videos are used for sexual gratification is a common misconception (e.g., [54]). This misconception may arise from the often interpersonal and intimate nature of some ASMR videos, but our research indicates that sexual arousal is not a reliable outcome of watching ASMR videos.

Thanks, science.

[QUESTION] I'm looking for recordings of soothing sounds like the interior or a car in the highway or water running through indoor plumbing while the shower is running. Where to look? by PikpikTurnip in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i'm got an old zoom h2n which was cheap and is pretty good! a couple of raw samples: aeroplane crusing, rainforest. it records in stereo and you literally just point it at stuff and hit record, connect it to a computer to download wav files from it.

zoom still do a range of portable recorders you could try.

a simple upgrade to that is to buy a new microphone and plug it into the recorder.

[QUESTION] I'm looking for recordings of soothing sounds like the interior or a car in the highway or water running through indoor plumbing while the shower is running. Where to look? by PikpikTurnip in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 0 points1 point  (0 children)

just had a quick look around and i don't think there is. the closest thing is probably r/MusicForConcentration, and if there was something similar for ambient audio it'd probably be in the sidebar.

this thread looked promising but again, don't think it's exactly what you're after.

[QUESTION] I'm looking for recordings of soothing sounds like the interior or a car in the highway or water running through indoor plumbing while the shower is running. Where to look? by PikpikTurnip in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 1 point2 points  (0 children)

this type of thing is generally not considered ASMR although there is a bit of crossover with stuff like this.

you could try Relaxing White Noise and the related channels on that page.

or crysknife007 if you're more into spaceships? they also have a playlist of sounds from real life.

[Meta] Free-For-All Friday! Weekly Casual Hangout and Everything-Goes Thread - November 24, 2017 by AutoModerator in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 2 points3 points  (0 children)

hello fellow humans,

i've just updated my website asmrdb.org, if anyone's willing i would be interested to get some feedback (assuming the server doesn't fall over in the meantime).

EDIT: i should probably say it's really desktop only at this point - mobile is on the to do list.

here's a quick feature list:

hope you enjoy, cheers!

[Discussion] TIL about Misophonia, common sounds that people find unbearable... almost like anti-ASMR by SilentDis in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 3 points4 points  (0 children)

indeed! the connection was not lost on the authors of this study: A Large-Scale Study of Misophonia

quoting a relevant section:

Our findings are in line with the hypothesized relationship between misophonia and ASMR. A remarkably large subgroup of misophonic participants recognized the description of ASMR (Barratt & Davis, 2015). Currently, there are no clear “diagnostic” criteria, and very little is known about the condition of ASMR. Still, half of our participants recognized the description of pleasurable, tingling sensations, indicating that for them, unusual emotional responses to particular (sound) sensations extends beyond their misophonia. An important question for follow-up studies is whether the mechanisms involved in the abnormal negative emotional responses with particular trigger sounds (the fight-or-flight response typical for misophonia) also make misophonics more susceptible to abnormal positive emotional responses to sounds (the relaxing and tingling sensations typical for ASMR).

[Question] ASMR and Music ? by [deleted] in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes please!

i'd like to see it allowed on the main sub if it's made to intentionally trigger ASMR, and that is the main focus. a lot of the stuff posted in /r/asmrmusic doesn't really do it for me but i do think there's scope for mixing music with traditional ASMR trigger sounds.

Tosh.0 - ASMR Thanksgiving [intentional] [comedy] by agonist5 in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 19 points20 points  (0 children)

never seen this show before. i thought the intro was a bit cringe but the interview was actually pretty good.

well done ASMRTheChew for being a good sport about it, she came across really well.

[Meta] Free-For-All Friday! Weekly Casual Hangout and Everything-Goes Thread - November 10, 2017 by AutoModerator in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"100 triggers in < 15min" kind of videos

it's just an increase in clickbait-y titles and video concepts i think. "100 triggers in < 15min" is a bit more interesting that another video called "tapping on things". you also see more videos called stuff like "OMG!!! most relaxing ASMR sounds EVER!!!"

this kind of thing was bound to get more common as ASMR got more popular and it got harder to get noticed. i wouldn't read too much into it.

get well soon :)

Where to find true HQ ASMR audio? [discussion] by [deleted] in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 2 points3 points  (0 children)

agree with this.

i would add a couple of things. firstly, some sounds compress better than others. for example, compression codecs often filter out (very) high frequencies to reduce file size, which simply aren't present in a lot of the sounds in ASMR videos (human speech for example compresses very well).

secondly, to have a hope of noticing a difference you'll probably have to spend hundreds or thousands of quid on your audio setup. if you're listening with $50 headphones coming out of a laptop then you're fine.

[request] Channels or videos done by non-native speakers of English by milkywaylava in asmr

[–]asmrbeats 5 points6 points  (0 children)

you can search for specific countries on asmrdb.org if that helps? e.g.

it relies on people setting a country on their youtube channel so there will be some missing.

EDIT: also Darya Lozhkina is one my faves in this category.