ASMR - Love it or Hate it?

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I've noticed that over the years ASMR has become a popular trend. I can't find a logical reason why, but this is based off of a bias; I HATE ASMR! Producing sounds directly into a microphone, to me, is the worst way to make sounds. It's the equivalence to hearing Styrofoam rubbing up against another material. Now I understand there are people out there who enjoy listening to people making ASMR videos (I know for a fact because these creators are making bank from producing these videos), but I just don't understand it. I just got done listening to this girl obliterate a stick of deodorant by eating it, then proceeding to spread and rub it on her hands. I couldn't stand it. I feel like if I were forced to watch a video of ASMR for a duration of an hour, I'd probably shut down. I couldn't function normally.

But what do you guys think of ASMR? Do you enjoy it? Do you find it relaxing? I'm genuinely curious.

I like the sound of it. I've always liked sounds that are low, far away, remote. Sounds that are surrounded by silence so that I can relax and listen intently, sure of receiving only the sound I'm trying to hear. This goes back all my life, I think, before it became a thing called ASMR. I haven't found any ASMR poetry.

Most of it drives me nuts especially whispering or crinkling water bottles. But I did come across some using really long fingernails and that sounded good to me.

So mostly hate it.

The ASMR itself - love it.
The hyped-up, over-excited internet fandangle about it - meh!

I've experienced the ASMR quite naturally throughout my life, brought out by quite a variety of things if I'm very relaxed (usually dissociated) for a while. Just the same as I have a touch of synesthesia, visual/auditory migraine, visual snow, and a few other sensory whatevers. They can sometimes be very pleasant, but I never thought of any of them as special in any way - though I did notice that most people I ever mentioned them to gave me funny looks!

It's only in the last few years that I've come to know other people who experienced these things. It was cool to know they had names, and fascinating to swap notes with people. Then, all of a sudden, I'm seeing "ASMR videos" all over the internet, and folks are going on about it like it's some kind of spiritual super-power. None of the videos I tried worked for me, and most were either irritating or just boring. The whispering voices ones give me an entirely different kind of tingle down the spine - i.e. the creeps! (and I harbour a suspicion that a lot of people let confirmation-bias convince them that this is the ASMR.) Maybe I just had my surroundings set up wrong, who knows? - but I'll stick to letting it happen naturally like I always have, thanks!

It reminds me of the 80's fad for giving yourself eye-strain trying to see the 3D in "magic-eye" pictures. ASMR is just a little perceptual trick that you might be able to make your brain do, and it can feel lovely - but so can a hell of a lot of other things!

I don't actually get ASMR from ASMR videos and such, but I can get it from the strangest sources. One time, I was listening to some of my classmates present a slideshow and I got ASMR even though they weren't whispering or soft speaking. I guess I only get ASMR from completely random sources. I do find ASMR videos relaxing because of the sensory input (mainly auditory) but I can't get tingles from them.

Some ASMR makes me tingle with relaxation, but some just annoy the f**k out of me, not just the sound but also the person doing the video. I really loathe it when there's a really sexy young girl with long nails painted immaculately, wearing a low-necked tight shirt so her breasts look big, and she stares at you in the camera - like she's doing some sort of sexy porn video or something. Although you don't have to look at it if you're planning on sleeping, it still creeps me out knowing I'm soothing myself to sleep to a 'sexy' video aimed at guys or lesbians. Ugh!

Also I hate people that whisper into the camera. I find whispering very annoying. I like listening to words, but I like the words to not be whispered. Softly-spoken speech is much better to relax to than whispering.

I do love listening to hair-combing or hair-cutting, and other activities related to hair. I feel so envious of the person in the video who's having someone do all this to her hair. But I close my eyes, listen to the soothing sounds of a brush or comb through long hair and I imagine it's being done to my hair, and then it physically feels like it too. Having my hair played with or groomed is soooooo relaxing, it is heaven.

^ Spot on; you've got to wonder which part of peoples' bodies they're trying to make tingle sometimes!

Pretty much the same for me. I have experienced what is now called ASMR since I was a child which is long before internet videos came along. I always assumed it was something that everyone experienced so it was interesting to find out that is apparently not the case.

I have a lot of triggers for mine, mostly just everyday sounds and situations, but I haven't found a single internet video that triggers it. In any case I rather like the fact that it just sort of sneaks up on me and I suddenly realise I am experiencing it without having made any effort to trigger it.

Likewise; I can't recall ever thinking of it as a goal in its own right before I heard of other people doing it. It would have seemed as moot as trying to tickle your own feet.

Neither love nor hate. Just mild irritation at those who never expand their mystery acronyms.