Since I’ve been a little girl I have occasionally experienced “head tingles.” The sensation is not unpleasant; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s like a low-voltage buzz that starts in the head and then transfers throughout the body. It happens at the most random of times—like when I’m getting my hair cut or watching a sales clerk wrap a package. Just the process of seeing someone doing something mundane in a quiet relaxed manner is a trigger for me to experience the sensation.
I’ve always thought it was something weird that only happened to me until I read an article about ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It’s essentially a tingling, buzzing, warm, and/or relaxing sensation that runs through the brain and all over your body when triggered by certain stimulus. It is literally a form of a natural high, a feeling of being transported and taken under by your own brain power.
Not all people experience this sensation, so if you try to explain it to a non-tingler they may look at you like you are nuts. One tingler tried to explain the phenomenon to his doctor but stopped when the doctor started asking questions about a family history of epilepsy. Only a small percentage of people are actually conscious of the sensation. It is akin to a feeling of being hypnotized.
I have been reading articles about ASMR and was surprised and glad to know that others have had the same experience. I’m also surprised that the phenomenon, if it is as widespread as it appears, hasn’t yet yielded multiple research studies.
Some activities that may cause you to experience the sensation include:
- Watching someone write or sketch
- Watching someone iron
- Having someone rub lotion or apply make-up to your skin
- Watching someone write on a chalkboard or white board
- Listening to a teacher read a book in a soft, quiet voice
- Someone brushing or playing with your hair
- Getting a massage
The ASMR acronym is a nonclinical term coined in 2010 by Jennifer Allen. She is a manager for a cyber-security company who has experienced the tingles for years and figured people really couldn’t discuss the phenomenon unless it had a name—ideally, an official-sounding one. So she wrote down words that described the experience and then tried to match them up with a scientific version of that word. Thus evolved the “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.”
The science community has finally begun to respond to the anecdotal experiences of the “tinglers.” In 2015, two psychology researchers at Swansea University in Wales published the first peer-reviewed research study on the phenomenon, in which they tried to establish a foundational body of work describing and classifying ASMR.
If you are a fellow “tingler,” know that you are not alone. Share your experiences with others by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.
Written by: Donna Green, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Erie County, green.308@osu.edu
Reviewed by: Beth Stefura, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Mahoning County, stefura.2@osu.edu
Sources:
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/researchers-begin-gently-probe-science-behind-asmr-180962550/
asmruniversity.com/2016/05/17/jennifer-allen-interview-coined-asmr/
Live Healthy Live Well 
So happy to see this article. I always wondered why I did this and if it was normal. 🙂
It really is a very pleasant feeling, isn’t it??
Donna