Sighs and whispers: stressed young people using ASMR videos to relax

Younger adults are increasingly overwhelmed by in-person interaction and are soothing themselves with wildly popular sensory online content known as ASMR, says a report.

- Libby Brooks

ASMR - autonomous sensory meridian response - describes a sensory phenomenon triggered by specific sights or sounds, which usually begins with a tingling sensation across the scalp and results in feelings of deep calm and relaxation.

Platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have thousands of videos in which ASMR creators play with squishy slime, role-play braiding the viewer's hair or whisper loving affirmations.

Researchers from behavioural insights agency Revealing Reality interviewed viewers and creators of ASMR content and analysed thousands of videos based on common triggers - such as exaggerated whispering, breathing, tapping and crinkling sounds, gentle or fluttering hand movements - which many use to unwind and sleep.