Authors:
Jie Li
Just before CHI 2024, I took a one-week vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii. Every night, in the little farmhouse where we stayed, we were accompanied by the sounds of coqui frogs chirping "kokee," palm leaves rustling gently, and ocean waves crashing in the distance. Initially, we were worried that these natural noises might disrupt our sleep. As the nights passed, however, we discovered that the sounds actually helped us fall asleep. They provided a natural, tranquil form of auditory relaxation that evoked a sense of peace and connectedness with nature, akin to the effects of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR).
I've recently discovered another ASMR-triggering case related to my creative hobby. As a cake artist and content creator, I often post videos of my cake crafting on social media platforms. My initial intention was to share my recipes and process, highlighting the precision and craftsmanship of making a cake from beginning to end. Interestingly, sharing these cake-crafting videos has started to attract many enthusiastic fans who are not primarily interested in the recipes but actually watch my videos before sleep to feel "cured," "soothed," and "relaxed."
I am a big fan of director Wes Anderson's visual artistry, which I believe also triggers ASMR in many people. Before I learned the term ASMR, I had already been one of the millions following Anderson's art on social media platforms. We find his unique aesthetic style, which often includes extremely symmetrical compositions, a vivid color palette, and meticulous detail, comforting and pleasing. These orderly and precise arrangements of elements can induce a sense of satisfaction and calm in those who appreciate them.
Among these three ASMR-inducing cases, I notice some shared characteristics that contribute to their soothing effects. Each case involves either visual or auditory elements—or sometimes both—to foster relaxation and a sense of calm. From the natural symphony of wildlife to the precision and creativity in cake crafting to the symmetrical and vivid compositions in Wes Anderson's films, these characteristics highlight the universal appeal of structured, aesthetically engaging environments or activities in evoking tranquility and satisfaction. This reflects the core principles of ASMR.
What Is ASMR?
Autonomous sensory meridian response is a phenomenon commonly identifed by an electrostatic-like tingling sensation that starts at the scalp and travels down the spine, reaching the arms and potentially extending further, depending on the intensity of the response. This tingling can be triggered by various auditory and visual stimuli and is often accompanied by a sense of relaxation [1].
ASMR has been found to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, similar to the benefits observed with mindfulness practices.
Many people experience ASMR to some extent in everyday life, often without even realizing it. Everyday sounds like scissors cutting hair, the rhythmic tapping of rain against a window, or the softly spoken words of a yoga teacher can trigger this response. Visually, the methodical movements of a painter or the gentle sway of a ballet dancer might evoke similar feelings. These triggers vary widely among individuals but are connected by their ability to engage our senses in a deeply calming manner.
Triggers and Benefits of ASMR
Emma L. Barratt and colleagues [2] conducted an online survey involving 130 individuals who have experienced ASMR, and their findings point to several factors necessary for effectively triggering ASMR:
- Atmosphere: Participants prefer content that is happy, inviting, relaxed, and safe, fostering an environment that is optimal for triggering ASMR. Dangerous or thrilling content is not favored by participants as an ASMR trigger.
- Precision: Videos showcasing skilled manipulation of objects, rather than trial and error, are found to be particularly effective. For example, craftsmanship videos that meticulously demonstrate artists making jewelry, paintings, and cakes are often considered "soothing" and "curing."
- Authenticity and predictability: The study also highlights that overtly scripted videos are less effective compared with authentic and spontaneous ones. Videos that seem too contrived or predictable tend not to trigger ASMR. Although participants do not prefer predictable content, they favor videos that are engaging and inviting enough to help them follow and potentially induce a flow-like state. A balance between predictability and novelty is important to keep the content easy to follow yet not too predictable to become tedious.
- Sound: Overly loud, public, or chaotic settings, such as bars, are not conducive to ASMR. Quiet and private settings are helpful, as subtle ASMR sounds can be appreciated without external interference.
On some of my popular social media posts with cake-crafting videos, I have received comments such as: "I start my morning by watching you make cakes; it enlightens my morning," "I feel enchanted and motivated to start my own crafting hobby," and "I watch your cake videos before I go to bed. It is so relaxing." As these comments indicate, the benefits of ASMR are notable, ranging from mental relaxation and stress reduction to helping with insomnia, improving concentration, and even motivating people to start something they are passionate about. Many people who experience ASMR use it deliberately to mitigate negative moods and to help themselves fall asleep [1,3]. Emma Barratt and Nick Davis highlight that ASMR also provides temporary relief from depression by inducing tingling sensations across the skin [1].
How Can HCI Research Benefit?
By learning from the qualities and benefits of ASMR, HCI researchers can develop new design strategies that prioritize sensory engagement, mindfulness, personalization, and enchantment to create more meaningful and powerful user experiences.
Enhancing user experience and learning effects in educational videos. ASMR media is known for its ability to create relaxing, tingling sensations through specific auditory and visual stimuli [3]. This sensory-rich experience can inform HCI research on designing interactions that emphasize tactile, auditory, and visual elements, creating more immersive and engaging user interfaces. For instance, ASMR handcraftsmanship videos often feature close-up shots of hands meticulously working on intricate tasks, accompanied by soft, ambient sounds that create a calming and focused atmosphere. Understanding the elements that make handcraftsmanship videos appealing can lead to better design practices for educational tools and entertainment platforms, ultimately enhancing the user experience and increasing motivation to follow the educational materials further to maximize the learning effects.
Therapeutic applications for reducing stress and anxiety. ASMR has been found to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, similar to the benefits observed with mindfulness practices. The calming and euphoric effects of ASMR can be harnessed to improve subjective well-being and alleviate stress and chronic pain [4], which also presents an opportunity for HCI research to explore therapeutic applications of ASMR. By incorporating the soothing qualities of ASMR into digital interfaces, HCI researchers can develop content or systems aimed at reducing anxiety and improving mood in high-stress environments, such as hospitals and clinics where both patients and medical staff experience stress related to treatment and the high-stakes nature of medical work, or in corporate and academic environments where many people face tight deadlines, long workdays, and constant connectivity, leading to burnout and chronic stress.
Sensory and aesthetic experience. HCI researchers can take cues from ASMR to design multisensory experiences that are more immersive and responsive. By focusing on detailed, aesthetic, and multisensory interactions, researchers can create more realistic, immersive, and engaging environments for training and entertainment [5]. Suppose we have an immersive museum of Wes Anderson's or Van Gogh's art that combines visual, sonic, and tactile elements (see Figure 1 for an imagined example). Visitors could become immersed in scenes from Anderson's films or among Van Gogh's sunflowers. The immersive experience could also blend music from Anderson's film soundtracks with ASMR sounds like the ticking of a clock and the flipping of a book's pages. This kind of ASMR-induced immersive museum could create an engaging form of storytelling and interaction.
 | Figure 1. An imagined scenario of an immersive ASMR art museum. |
Reengaging our distracted selves and enjoying the mundane moments. Since smartphones have dominated our lives over the past decade, constant notifications and the lure of endless scrolling have eroded our ability to concentrate. We often see children playing with screens rather than engaging with meaningful physical toys or educational resources. ASMR has the potential to transform everyday sounds, tactile experiences, and mundane activities into sources of fascination [5]. HCI research can draw from this by designing technologies that highlight the beauty and interest in everyday physical activities, bringing our distracted selves back to the real world. This approach can be particularly beneficial for children. Parents can introduce ASMR through interactive, screen-free activities such as listening to an ASMR artist narrate a story while the child follows along by drawing or coloring. This not only helps children develop better concentration but also encourages them to spend less time on screens, promoting healthier habits and enhancing their ability to focus on single activities.
Conclusion
ASMR's ability to create deeply calming and sensory-rich experiences can inform and enhance HCI research and design. By understanding and leveraging the qualities that make ASMR so effective—immersive audiovisual stimuli, precision in task performance, and a focus on relaxation and mindfulness—HCI researchers can develop technologies and interfaces that significantly improve the user experience. Whether through educational tools that maximize learning by engaging the senses, therapeutic applications that reduce stress and anxiety, or innovative sensory and aesthetic experiences, the principles of ASMR can be integrated into a variety of contexts to enrich and transform routine activities. By bringing attention to the mundane, HCI design inspired by ASMR can help users find joy and relaxation in their daily lives, making even the most ordinary tasks a source of fascination and tranquility.
References
1. Barratt, E.L. and Davis, N.J. Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR): A flow-like mental state. PeerJ 3 (2015), e851.
2. Barratt, E.L., Spence, C., and Davis, N.J. Sensory determinants of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR): Understanding the triggers. PeerJ 5 (2017), e3846.
3. Poerio, G.L., Blakey, E., Hostler, T.J., and Veltri, T. More than a feeling: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by reliable changes in affect and physiology. PLOS One 13, 6 (2018), e0196645.
4. Del Campo, M.A. and Kehle, T.J. Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) and frisson: Mindfully induced sensory phenomena that promote happiness. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology 4, 2 (2016), 99–105.
5. Klefeker, J., Striegl, L., and Devendorf, L. What HCI can learn from ASMR: Becoming enchanted with the mundane. Proc. of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, New York, 2020, 1–12.
Author
Jie Li is an HCI researcher with a background in industrial design engineering. Her research focuses on developing evaluation metrics for immersive experiences and human-AI experiences. She is head of research and insights at EPAM Netherlands as well as a creative cake designer and the owner of Cake Researcher, a boutique café. [email protected]
Copyright held by author
The Digital Library is published by the Association for Computing Machinery. Copyright © 2024 ACM, Inc.
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