head or down their neck and back
— in response to certain auditory or
visual stimuli. It can be an incredibly
relaxing experience that can calm
one’s nerves and even help them fall
asleep at the end of a stressful day.
Typical triggers include soft-
spoken voices and gentle whisper-
ing, light tapping on any number
of objects, fiddling with crinkly
plastic packaging, brushing the
microphone and roleplay. The
exact items and scenarios used
in creating these videos vary as
each artist experiments with new
sounds and roleplay plotlines.
What may stimulate ASMR in one
viewer might not work on another,
so these YouTubers have to keep
coming back with fresh ideas.
I’d wager that most people have
experienced ASMR in their ordinary
lives without even knowing there
was a name for the phenomenon. I
had a film studies teacher in col-
lege whose soft voice would cause
pleasant tingles through my scalp.
I’ve heard the happy painter himself,
Bob Ross, referred to as the grandfa-
ther of ASMR with his gentle speech,
the soft taps of his palette knives,
and the soothing sounds of a canvas
being brushed with color.
In fact, there’s an entire sub-
genre of ASMR called “uninten-
tional ASMR” where otherwise
ordinary videos unrelated to the
phenomenon find a new life in
the ASMR community thanks to a
speaker’s voice or the careful way
they work on a craft like intri-
cate stone carving or methodical
SUPER-NICHE
ASMR is the Best Artform on YouTube That You’re Not Watchingprintmaking. But overwhelmingly, a vast majority of
unintentional ASMR videos involve checkups at the
doctor’s office.COMMON TRIGGERS
It’s common for people to feel ASMR during events in-
volving quiet, personal attention, which is why videos
of doctors performing routine examinations tend to
induce tingles. It’s no surprise that it’s one of the most
common ASMR roleplay setups.
A specific variant is the cranial nerve exam roleplay,
which is almost a rite of passage for ASMR YouTu-Gibi ASMRFredsVoice ASMR