Listen Carefully And You Can Hear Everything
How do you describe the feeling when someone whispers softly in your ear 👂?
Or nails tap rhythmically against a hard surface? Or a sharp knife slowly slices through a crisp apple?
You might feel nothing, but many describe it as a “static-like or tingling sensation on the skin typically beginning at the scalp and moving down the back of the neck”. If this sounds like a familiar sensation you have experienced but never really acknowledged, it is a real thing called an autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR).
Millions of people subscribe and view 👀 YouTube videos of people undertaking what appear to be mundane tasks aiming to ‘trigger’ this eutrophic feeling. Watching hours of someone whispering to you or turning a newspaper may seem absurd, but there are over 9.6 million videos (with just as many views) on YouTube of exactly this.
Despite the clear desire for what has been described as a ‘braingasm’, there is very little scientific explanation into what ASMR does to your brain 🧠. A study found that ASMR is related to “being intimate with someone in a non-sexual way”, perhaps leaving people feeling emotionally invested or attached to these trending videos on social media.
These videos are igniting an underlying synaesthesia in people, meaning these seemingly dull tasks are perceived through various senses created. In addition, the study also demonstrated clear links to ASMR relieving stress, anxiety, and depression.
However, could we use it to alter people’s perception towards fairly dull products?
The use of senses is already utilised throughout marketing. For example, fast food restaurants use the colours - red and yellow, as they simultaneously trigger the feelings of appetite and happiness. Similarly, commercials use music to set the tone of their product. Marketing communications utilising ASMR can induce people into feeling positive emotions in relation to the brand.
Tell us about your experience with ASMR or if you would like to experience it by whispering to us in the comments below 😎👇👇👇!
Reference:
The Drop. 2018, February 9. Asmr In Marketing.
