Summary: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) has therapeutic qualities and has been scientifically proven to positively impact mood and physiological responses like heart rate and blood pressure in around 25-30% of individuals, contributing to its widespread popularity.
Researchers, after conducting an extensive review of over 1,000 scientific articles, have confirmed that ASMR is consistently experienced across individuals, resulting in changes in delta brain waves and activation in specific brain regions.
Despite these benefits, the long-term effects of ASMR on mental health remain inconclusive, prompting researchers to plan further studies comparing ASMR videos with control videos to assess their sustained impacts.
Key Facts:
- ASMR has short-term benefits on mood and physiology, but its long-term mental health effects are yet to be fully understood.
- EEG and fMRI studies reveal that ASMR decreases delta waves and activates brain areas associated with attention and movement.
- Future research aims to compare the long-term effects of ASMR videos against control videos such as ‘walking tour’ clips.
Source: RUB
ASMR – Unveiling the Mystery
Despite some viewers finding ASMR videos irritating, for many people, especially students, these videos have become an integral part of their lives, employed as a relaxation tool post-strenuous university days or as a sleep aid. But what exactly is ASMR?
“We determined that ASMR is a well-defined phenomenon experienced and described similarly by many individuals,” says Tobias Lohaus.
“Experienced viewers do not seem to be influenced by expectancy effects either.”
Studies suggest that for approximately 25 to 30 percent of individuals who can experience ASMR, watching ASMR videos is associated with short-term positive effects on their mood and physiological responses like slower heartbeat and reduced blood pressure.
Moreover, EEG studies indicate that ASMR experience is linked to decreased delta waves, typically tied to deep sleep but now also associated with consciousness states.
“These consciousness states might manifest in a relaxed mental state,” Lohaus proposes.
He further explains that fMRI studies show the ASMR experience involves specific brain regions, including the anterior cingulate gyrus related to attentional processes and other regions linked to movement.
Exploring Long-Term Effects
“However, it’s crucial to note that we have yet to discover any study demonstrating the long-term mental health effects induced by ASMR,” emphasizes Tobias Lohaus.
“This requires future studies to examine the effects of ASMR videos over prolonged periods and compare them to watching control videos.” The research team from Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen is preparing for such an investigation through a comprehensive joint research proposal.
The team initiated their new project by releasing an ASMR study in early 2023, highlighting that ‘walking tour’ videos, where individuals film themselves walking through specific areas, could act as suitable control videos, eliciting fewer ASMR experiences compared to ASMR clips.
About this ASMR and Sensory Neuroscience Research News
Author: Meike Driessen
Source: RUB
Contact: Meike Driessen – RUB
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access.
“Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): A PRISMA-Guided Systematic Review” by Tobias Lohaus et al. Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice
Abstract
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): A PRISMA-Guided Systematic Review
The present PRISMA-guided article systematically reviews the current state of research on the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR). The systematic literature search was conducted in Pubmed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science (last search: March 2022) selecting all studies that conducted quantitative scientific research on the ASMR phenomenon.
Fifty-four studies focusing on ASMR were retrieved (total participant number: n = 11,140). ASMR can be linked to several mental health-related variables (e.g., improved mood) and personality traits (e.g., neuroticism).
On the neurobiological level, ASMR has been associated with altered electrophysiological response patterns (tentatively suggesting δ wave decreases), activation of specific brain areas (particularly the anterior cingulate gyrus and movement-related regions), and atypical functional connectivity patterns as well as physiological changes such as heart rate reduction.
Future studies should evaluate the link between ASMR and additional psychological constructs, reveal more specific neurobiological outcome patterns and conduct long-term ASMR intervention studies.
