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Why do ASMR videos give some people satisfying 'tingles' while driving others bananas?

Do these sounds soothe or annoy you?

Comoro Sara. ASMR/YouTube

ASMR videos have millions of views on YouTube.

I'd never heard of ASMR when my kids started talking about how "satisfying" ASMR videos were. They had shared other "satisfying" videos with me, such as machinery making precise movements, Play-Doh being squished through holes, and more. I understood what they found appealing about them and I figured ASMR videos would be similar.

They weren't.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, which refers to the deep relaxation and tingling sensation some people experience from certain triggers, such as sounds. The sounds we're talking about, however, are not the soothing music or birds chirping or ocean waves one might normally associate with relaxation. They're things like hair brushing, scraping fingernails on a plastic water bottle and mouth crackles, all amplified with a powerful microphone.

Yes, mouth crackles. As in the popping sound people's saliva makes in the corners of their mouths when they talk. (The mouth sounds usually accompany someone whispering—another ASMR favorite.)

Intentional ASMR videos highlight these sounds and people either love it (because it gives them the tingles) or they don't (because it's annoying).

This whispering ASMR video has 24 million views and offers a glimpse of what I'm talking about:

The past decade has seen ASMR videos grow in popularity to the point where Reese's made an hour-long film featuring five ASMR stars who whisper into microphones while unwrapping Reese's candy wrappers.

This YouTube video is three hours straight of nonvocal ASMR sounds made primarily with a woman's fingernails gently scraping across various different textured surfaces, and it has 37 million views:

People who experience ASMR prefer different triggers, and it might take some experimenting to see what works—if it does at all. It seems that people either get ASMR or they don't. My children do, but I don't. I actually find these videos vaguely irritating.

Why is that? What makes some people have a positive, soothing reaction to ASMR videos while others get annoyed by them?

One answer may lie in our baseline mental states. A study from 2022 suggests that people who experience ASMR tingles tend to be higher in neuroticism, which means being more likely to experience negative emotional states such as anxiety. Notably, ASMR appeared to reduce anxiety in those people, whereas the people who didn't get the tingles showed no difference in their anxiety before and after watching the videos.

Joanna Greer, Ph.D., a senior lecturer of psychology at Northumbria University who co-authored the study, told Verywell Health that the study's findings can encourage further research into how ASMR can help reduce anxiety.

And anecdotally, the people-more-prone-to-anxiety-tend-to-get-ASMR idea is reflected accurately in my and my kids' case, as my kids are much more anxiety-prone than I am.

Neuroticism isn't the only personality trait associated with experiencing ASMR. University of Winnipeg professor of psychology Stephen Smith has studied ASMR and personalities. He told CNN that people who get the tingly response tend to score high in the "openness to experience" trait as well as neuroticism, while scoring lower in conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness.

"I think they’re more receptive to specific types of physical, auditory and visual experiences than the rest of us," Smith said.

ASMR isn't purely triggered by the videos shown and described here, either. The response is something most of us have experienced at one point or another, whether it's from someone brushing our hair or making slow movements or simply giving us personal attention. But the videos that have taken over YouTube are designed to tap straight into the phenomenon with specific sounds.

Whether it actually works is an individual question. In people I've casually polled, responses to ASMR videos seem to be fairly split—some find them "satisfying," some find them annoying. But the people who respond to ASMR sounds share that they reduce their anxiety and create a sense of calm in them. In an increasingly anxious world, the more ways we can find to soothe people's minds, the better. Whatever floats your boat.

Even if it does involve loudly breaking saliva bubbles.

From Your Site Articles

76,000 bank transactions led researchers to some interesting insights on spending.

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A recent study found that money can, in fact, buy you happiness. Well, kind of.

There's been a lot of research lately showing that spending money on experiences or other people leads to more happiness than spending it on stuff for yourself. In other words, there may be a "right" way to spend money.

This study, titled "Money Buys Happiness When Spending Fits Our Personality," took that a step further by looking at how individual personalities factor in. Researchers examined 76,000 bank transaction records and found that "people whose purchases better match their personality report higher levels of life satisfaction."

Different things will make different people happy.

To better understand this, researchers broke down people's spending habits using the "Big Five" personality traits — extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness.

This explains why one person's dream of saving up and traveling the world might not give someone else the same satisfaction, just as donating a chunk of money to a nonprofit may float some people's boat but not others'.

Knowing where you fall could help give you a better idea of how to best spend your money. After all, a solid fit between your purchases and personality is more strongly associated with life satisfaction compared to your total income and total spending.

Check out the five breakdowns below and see which one sounds most like you.

1. Extraversion

GIF from "Beetlejuice."

What it means: You're a very outgoing and sociable person. You get excited when you're around people and can talk up a storm like it's nobody's business.

What brings you joy: Dancing in the club, large dinner gatherings with friends, joining a tour group surrounded by complete strangers.

2. Agreeableness

GIF from "The Simpsons."

What it means: You put the concerns of others before your own. You're very compassionate and cooperative, and you love to do things that benefit other people (or animals).

What brings you joy: Donating to charity, taking care of the cutest puppy ever, investing in a socially conscious business.

3. Conscientiousness

GIF from "Creed."

What it means: You're all about controlling your impulses and achieving the goals you set for yourself. You're also very organized and always pay close attention to the details.

What brings you joy: Signing up for that intensive workout program you read about, joining a free yoga class in the park, setting yourself up with a healthy meal plan.

4. Neuroticism

GIF from "Conan."

What it means: You're quite the worrier and are more prone to stress. You overreact at times and your emotions can be rather overwhelming.

What brings you joy: Cracking some self-deprecating jokes with friends, betting on NBA playoff games, clearing all your traffic fines.

5. Openness

GIF from "Up."

What it means: You're an imaginative, artistic person with a wide range of interests. You're also very adventurous, ready to explore things you haven't tried yet.

What brings you joy: Visiting a place you've never been to before, learning a new interesting skill, writing about something you're passionate about.

But don't forget: To actually spend your money, you still need to be smart about it.

GIF from "Parks and Recreation."

There's not that much room for happiness if you splurge your supply in one go. You still need to budget, save, and spend wisely.

Just think of this as a handy little cheat sheet. A simple guide to help you figure out the kinds of purchases that'll bring you the most joy.

One of the authors of the study, Sandra Matz, told the Association for Psychological Science, "By developing a more nuanced understanding of the links between spending and happiness, we hope to be able to provide more personalized advice on how to find happiness through the little consumption choices we make every day."

And that should make everyone happy.