I must be weird, or missing a critical gene, or something, but ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) grosses me out. (Yes, I still say that.) For the uninitiated, the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it this way:
ASMR stands for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.” It typically refers to the “tingly feeling” that travels from the head downward that some experience in response to certain sounds, feelings, or descriptions. These can include soft whispering, crinkling paper, or a gentle touch.
I’ve seen it described variously as tingling, stimulating, arousing, relaxing, sedating, soothing, calming. Really? I find it creepy, off-putting, annoying at the very least, and downright repulsive or revolting at worst. To me it’s like someone violating my personal space. And if I get any “tingles” from hearing it, it’s the cringing kind that says “eew!” My strongest reactions are elicited by that sort of wet, lip-smacky mouth sound that comes when the speaker is whispering into the mic. ICK!
This video has more than 3.5 million views; go figure. I dug it up because I needed an example and because I was a curious to see, or hear, what apparently constitutes one of the best examples of ASMR.
Hard pass.
You didn’t mention ‘silly’: why not ?! :\
Oh, snap! My bad.
Tsk .. [grin]
“For someone who’s unfamiliar with this phenomenon, this might trigger one question: What the hell is going on?” — Vox.com
I don’t get it personally, but there is a massive and well-established online community based around ASMR — then again there’s a truly massive community based around cat memes as well that I don’t get as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycgSzc4Grdo
LOL! Thank you! I have been vindicated!
Don’t get it, never heard of it. Do you experience it often? What triggers it for you, Susan?
The dictionary entry I linked (https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/asmr-abbreviation-meaning ) includes a longer explanation of ASMR. The sounds these people make are supposed to trigger a pleasant physical response in susceptible listeners. They trigger nothing pleasant in me. Quite the opposite. Revulsion, scorn, ridicule.
Close your eyes and just listen to the sounds this woman makes to see if they evoke any pleasant physical responses.