Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, is a relaxing state a person can achieve through sleep or tingles of the nerves. "Autonomous sensory meridian response" (ASMR) is a neologism for an alleged biological phenomenon characterized as a distinct, pleasurable tingling sensation in the head, scalp or peripheral regions of the body in response to visual, auditory, olfactory, and/or cognitive stimuli. Whispering and role-playing A commonly reported stimulus for ASMR is the sound of whispering. As evident on YouTube, a variety of videos and audio recordings involve the creator whispering or communicating with a soft-spoken intonation into a camera or sound recording device. Many role-playing videos and audio recordings also aim to stimulate ASMR. Examples include pretend haircuts, visits to a doctor's office and therapy sessions. While these make-believe situations are acted out by the creator, viewers and listeners report an ASMR effect that relieves insomnia, anxiety or panic attacks. There is a lack of scientific evidence that ASMR is a real physiological phenomenon. Any claimed benefits come from personal accounts of individual perception. Since many of the reported triggers for ASMR involve specific auditory or tactile situations observable by the viewer/listener, it has been noted that these events simulate physiological and somatosensory affects. Touch messages, in comparison to other sensory stimuli, have a large distance to travel to get to the brain. Tactual perception is achieved through the response of mechanoreceptors in the skin that detect physical stimuli. The response from a mechanoreceptor detecting pressure can be experienced as a touch, discomfort, or pain, and the force of pressure is measured by a pressure algometer and a dolorimeter. Mechanoreceptors are situated in highly vascularized skin, and appear in both glabrous and hairy skin. Each mechanoreceptor is tuned to a different sensitivity, and will fire its action potential only when there is enough energy. The axons of these single tactile receptors will converge into a single nerve trunk, and the signal is then sent to the spinal cord where the message makes its way to the somatosensory systems in the brain.

• published: 14 May 2013
• views: 2090