Maybe you’ve heard of autonomous sensory meridian response — better known as ASMR. Maybe you’re an avid fan of ASMR, or maybe you’ve heard of it but have never understood exactly what it consists of. ASMR is essentially a relaxing sensation that comes from sounds, speaking, positive affirmations, personal attention or a myriad of other “triggers” to set your senses off.
Not everyone experiences ASMR, but there are hundreds and hundreds of ASMR videos on YouTube with everything ranging from hand sounds to light triggers to facial treatments (virtually, of course). You can even listen to ASMR while you’re studying in Hesburgh Library until 2 a.m. — just find a no-talking video and put in your headphones.
There’s also a number of reasons why someone might listen to or watch ASMR. I’ve heard of many people using ASMR videos to help them fall asleep at night or calm them down or just to relax. Personally, I like to watch them for fun — yes, for fun. Instead of watching Netflix before I go to sleep, sometimes I’ll just turn to ASMR.
It can be hard to know if you enjoy ASMR — especially if you have no idea what ASMR is or are skeptical based on the definition. So, here are a few YouTube channels I would recommend checking out to feel out if ASMR is for you.
Tiptoe Tingles
This is the first ASMR channel I share with anyone who asks me about ASMR. She goes by Tiptoe, and her usual videos consist of fast hand sounds — including finger snapping, finger fluttering and tapping — combined with talking and rambling. Another one of her signatures is gripping and grasping items, which sounds better in a video than you would think. She also does lots of collaborations with other ASMR artists, or ASMRtists, so watching her can be a good segue into other great channels. If you are someone who enjoys YouTubers who vlog and tell you about their day, then I would recommend Tiptoe, as she is personable in her videos, and I probably know more about her life than my brother’s on some days.
Patty ASMR
Patty ASMR is the only male ASMRtist I have watched, as most of the ASMRtists I come across and watch on the regular are female. I learned about his channel from Tiptoe Tingles and am a regular viewer now. He soft speaks as opposed to whispers if you don’t enjoy whispering ASMR. Patty’s signature triggers include lots and lots of hand sounds and tapping random objects. He has a very chill style of ASMR, making it relaxing to just doze off and watch.
Gentle Whispering
Run by a girl named Maria, Gentle Whispering is a very unique style of ASMR, and the number of details in her videos is off the charts. Creatively, she is the best by far. A couple of her videos range from an hourlong haircut, a facial spa treatment and creating a Christmas ornament for you. Since Maria is originally from Russia, she also translates some of her videos into Russian, if you want to try ASMR in another language. If you are looking for a specific niche within ASMR, you should be able to find it on her channel.
Gibi ASMR
Throwing this suggestion onto this list because Gibi is the most followed ASMRtist on YouTube with over three million subscribers. She posts videos very frequently, which include ultra rare and specific ASMR triggers. She also does questionnaire videos to find the perfect ASMR video for you. Her most requested video that she released in February was the “Bee Movie“ acted out in its entirety in ASMR. I will admit I did not make it through, but it has almost three million views so clearly, it is very popular. I would also recommend her New to ASMR video as a good starting place.
If you are still questioning whether or not you might like ASMR, just give it a shot. It’s not for everyone, but it’s relaxing, unique and unpredictable. And if you’re already an ASMR fan, send me your favorite channels.
