Have you seen the video of a woman whispering random noises into the camera? Or the one where a girl is simply slicing the soap or a cake? Or the one where a man is chopping through candles? Even IKEA made one advert based on these soothing sensations in 2016.

What are these videos? And why are people watching them?

These are called Asmr Videos, meaning autonomous sensory meridian response. It is a relaxing, often sedative sensation that begins on the scalp and moves down the body. Also known as ‘brain massage,’ it is triggered by placid sights and sounds such as whispers, accents, and crackles.

Many people have described it online as a tingling feeling that begins with their head, and spreads throughout the body. There is no specific science or rational behind it.

The term is believed to have been coined in 2010 by Jennifer Allen, who started a Facebook group dedicated to finding out more about it. The term quickly caught on, as people finally had a way to reference the pleasurable feeling they had been experiencing.

ASMR videos have slowly been garnering a huge popularity on YouTube. In fact, some channels have more than 2 million subscribers. And because, eventually the brain grows used to a particular trigger, the video makers have to keep innovating with new material and make videos with new triggers.

Weird though this trend may seem, there are people who spend hours watching someone crinkling a wrapper or someone petting a cat. There are themes of repetition and soothing sounds in almost all ASMR videos. And now brands have started using ASMR videos to sell their products, including KFC. The actor George Hamilton, portraying Colonel Sanders, whispers sweet nothings about pocket squares and enjoys the sounds of KFC’s new crispy fried chicken.

Unfortunately, this trend speaks of a deeper malaise with the viewers. It speaks of the tragedy that various online addictions cause. One wonders at the future where numbing the mind with such irrational means could lead to. Would not scientific and traditional methods of Zen or Yoga be better suited to relax the mind?

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