The autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, is an intensely pleasant, tingling sensation originating in the scalp and neck and spreading down the body. ASMR is elicited by various video and auditory triggers, such as watching someone pretend to perform relaxing actions like massaging or hair brushing or listening to soft sounds like whispers or tapping. There are countless ASMR videos on YouTube attracting thousands — or in some instances millions — of subscribers and hits.

The triggers vary from person to person. But for millions of people worldwide, ASMR is a go-to for relaxation, sleep, and reducing stress.

While research interest in the phenomenon is growing, there’s a lot we still don’t know about ASMR. For example, why do some people experience tingles and others don’t? Could understanding the personality traits associated with ASMR guide us when thinking about ASMR as a potential therapeutic intervention?

Emerging literature suggests people who are capable of experiencing ASMR exhibit greater levels of neuroticism. Neuroticism is a personality trait typically defined as a tendency towards depression, self-doubt, and other negative feelings.

Neuroticism is also associated with a tendency to experience negative emotional states such as anxiety. We know people who watch ASMR regularly may do so to relax or reduce stress, potentially indicating elevated levels of anxiety.

Currently, there is very little research linking neuroticism with anxiety in people who experience ASMR or into the effect of watching ASMR videos on anxiety. Our new study aims to add to the evidence in these areas.

How ASMR links to anxiety

We recruited 36 people who experience ASMR and 28 people who don’t. All participants watched a five-minute ASMR video that was a compilation of multiple common ASMR triggers.

Before watching the video, the participants completed questionnaires assessing their levels of neuroticism, trait anxiety (a predisposition to experience ongoing anxiety), and state anxiety (their anxiety levels at the moment). They also answered questions about their state of anxiety after viewing the video.

The ASMR experiencers had significantly greater scores for neuroticism and trait anxiety compared to the non-experiencers, which suggests these are characteristics associated with the ability to experience ASMR. The ASMR experiencers also had greater pre-video state anxiety scores, significantly reduced after watching the video.

In contrast, there was no difference in the state anxiety scores among people who didn’t experience ASMR before and after watching the video. So the ASMR video alleviated anxiety, but only among the ASMR experiencers.

However, when we looked at the data differently, we found that a propensity for greater neuroticism and anxiety overall — regardless of whether participants experienced ASMR or not — was associated with the ASMR video having a positive effect on anxiety levels.

This emphasizes the importance of individual personality traits when considering ASMR as a potential therapeutic intervention. It also shows us that the benefits of watching ASMR videos can be experienced even if you don’t necessarily feel the “tingle.”

Can ASMR reduce anxiety?

We have provided new evidence regarding the traits that may characterize people who experience ASMR and indicate that ASMR could have potential as an alternative treatment for anxiety.

Our study supports previous research demonstrating that ASMR-experiencers exhibit greater levels of neuroticism. We’ve also found that people with elevated anxiety levels are more likely to experience ASMR.

Notably, in our study, watching the ASMR video reduced state anxiety among people who experience ASMR. While this seems logical considering that people who seek out ASMR often do so for therapeutic reasons, the results of our study also suggest that ASMR may have anxiety-reducing effects more generally.

So if people are prone to neuroticism and/or anxiety, they may benefit from watching ASMR — even if they don’t routinely watch ASMR videos or experience ASMR tingles.

Our study was only in a relatively small number of people, and we cannot discount that the targeted group most likely had a predisposition to seek out ASMR. It will be important to carry out research with more ASMR-naïve participants.

Certainly, further research into ASMR as a psychological intervention will be important to understand better how this may help people who experience anxiety.

In the meantime, findings from recent neuroimaging studies shed more light on this phenomenon. Using a type of brain imaging called electroencephalography, researchers have shown that the electrical activity associated with relaxation (including mindfulness meditation) increased in response to ASMR stimuli. This was true even when participants were performing a mentally demanding task.

These studies suggest that ASMR leads to changes in brain activity typically associated with a relaxed state, possibly even during day-to-day activities. More neuroimaging research will complement behavioral studies and help us to identify the mechanisms that could underpin ASMR’s anxiety-reducing capabilities.

This article was originally published on The Conversation by Joanna Greer at Northumbria University, Newcastle. Read the original article here.