The Emerging Science of ASMR (Encore)
There are millions of YouTube videos with people crinkling bubble wrap or whispering about folding laundry. Our guest talks about why autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) makes her, and many others, feel more calm and happy.
\n\nLink to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ye4p3tkw
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Episode summary:
\n\nMelinda still remembers the tingling feeling she felt when she first listened to the close-up sound of someone drawing on a TV show at the age of ten. She learned later that the subtle sounds that create soothing sensations for her are called autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR. Now, she creates ASMR experiences on her YouTube channel and through her live production company, Whisperlodge \u2014 from delicately handling a plastic package to gently stroking a microphone with a makeup brush. In today's show, Melinda demystifies the world of ASMR and how it brings both calm and delight to her and her participants. Later, we hear about the emerging science behind ASMR from Dr. Giulia Poerio, who studies it in her lab at the University of Essex. As it turns out, those tingles might actually benefit our mental health.
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Today\u2019s Science of Happiness Guests:
\n\nMelinda Lauw, is the co-creator of Whisperlodge, an immersive ASMR theater experience.
\n\nCheck out some ASMR videos from Whisperlodge's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Whisperlodge
\n\nLearn more about Whisperlodge: https://whisperlodge.nyc/
\n\nFollow Melinda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melinda.lauw/
\n\nFollow Melinda on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melindalauw
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Giulia Poerio is a psychology professor at the University of Essex who studies the effects of ASMR on the mind and body.
\n\nLearn more about her work: https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/poeri14804/giulia-poerio
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Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:
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Listen to our Happiness Break on silence: https://tinyurl.com/2hny7pcd
\nJust One Thing: Pay Attention!: https://tinyurl.com/cm2xb86j
\nWhat Music Looks Like in the Brain: https://tinyurl.com/2k9t3sjz
\nDoes Your Voice Reveal More Emotion Than Your Face?: https://tinyurl.com/ympr4brk
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More Resources for ASMR:
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TED - The brain science (and benefits) of ASMR: https://tinyurl.com/y8a89xv3
\nVox - ASMR, explained: why millions of people are watching YouTube videos of someone whispering: https://tinyurl.com/4j4kn7dh
\nNew York Times - How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation: https://tinyurl.com/2jke45k5
\nNPR - Some People Get 'Brain Tingles' From These Slime Videos. What's Behind The Feeling?: https://tinyurl.com/2p8p4u7d
\nNational Geographic - ASMR or not? Unpicking the science behind a sensory phenomenon: https://tinyurl.com/yvnvuzk5
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Tell us your thoughts about ASMR. Do you get tingly sensations?\xa0 Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
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