Agnieszka Janik McErlean

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a self-reported sensory phenomenon described by those capable to experience it as a tingling sensation, which originates on scalp and spreads down the spine to the limbs. This experience is elicited by certain auditory and visual triggers including whisper, crisp sounds and personal attention and is reported to be highly relaxing and calming, drawing many people to YouTube channels dedicated to this phenomenon. For instance, Gentle Whispering, which is one of the most popular channels producing ASMR content has over 1,5 million subscribers and over 500 million views. My research on this phenomenon has so far revealed an atypical personality profile and increased sound sensitivity among individuals who experience ASMR suggesting wider traits associated with the phenomenon which go beyond the ASMR experience itself. In this talk I will review the existing research on ASMR shedding more light on this fascinating phenomenon which has been largely neglected by the scientific community.