Why ASMR gives you tingles – Emma WhispersRed

In this of the Science Focus Podcast we look at the growing phenomenon of ASMR. Over the last five or six years, millions of people have logged onto YouTube to watch ASMR – or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response – videos.

For the uninitiated, the soft whispering voices, gentle tapping and rustling sounds may seem a little odd. But for ASMR enthusiasts the videos can trigger feelings of security and relaxation that can be difficult to explain to those who don’t experience them.

• ASMR science: are ‘brain tingles’ more than just a feeling?

YouTuber Emma WhispersRed is one of the most well known ASMR vloggers on the internet. BBC Focus Magazine’s commissioning editor Jason Goodyer speaks to her about how she got into making the videos, why she thinks people find them so soothing, and why she wants to get the phenomenon officially recognised as a form of therapy.
If you like what you hear, then please rate, review, and share with anybody you think might enjoy our podcast. You can also subscribe and leave us a review at your favourite podcast apps, like iTunes, Acast, Stitcher, and many more.Also, if there is anybody you’d like us to speak to, or a topic you want us to cover, then let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus.Listen to more Science Focus Podcast episodes:

• Should we be worried about sex robots? – Kate Devlin
• Inside the mind of a comedian – Robin Ince
• How to get a good night’s sleep – Alice Gregory
• What psychology can tell us about suicide – Jesse Bering
• Inequality in science - Angela Saini
• Everything that’s wrong with the human body - Nathan Lents

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