New research
from Northumbria University suggests a link between personality traits and the
ability to experience the relaxing sensory phenomenon known as ASMR. The findings
also show that it reduces anxiety in those who experience the sensation.
A study has
uncovered new evidence linking higher levels of the personality trait
neuroticism and anxiety with the ability to experience a deeply relaxing
sensation known as the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). Northumbria
University MSc Psychology graduate Charlotte Eid and psychologists at the University
present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on February 2, 2022.
ASMR occurs
involuntarily and those who experience it often describe it as a pleasant
tingling sensation beginning in the head and neck that may spread throughout
the body. Not everyone experiences this sensory phenomenon, and those who do may
have different triggers for it; for instance, receiving a massage or listening
to quiet sounds, such as whispering, tapping or crackling.
Recent years
have seen the creation of millions of online videos featuring sounds and
situations that may trigger ASMR, with many viewers reporting relaxing
benefits.
Previous
research has suggested that people capable of experiencing ASMR may have
elevated levels of neuroticism – a personality trait typically defined as a
tendency toward anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and other negative feelings.
However, the precise link between ASMR and personality traits has been unclear.
To help
clarify, Eid and colleagues asked 36 volunteers who experience ASMR and 28
non-experiencers to watch a video designed to trigger ASMR. The participants
completed several questionnaires to evaluate their neuroticism, general
tendency to experience anxiety, known as ‘trait anxiety’, and moment-to-momentanxiety, or ‘state anxiety’, before
and after watching the video.
Statistical
analysis of the participants’ responses found that ASMR experiencers had higher
levels of neuroticism and trait anxiety, as well as higher levels of state
anxiety before watching the video — however, this type of anxiety was reduced
after the video, and ASMR experiencers reported a greater level of benefit from
the video. In contrast, non-experiencers did not undergo a reduction in state
anxiety after watching the video.
Further
analysis also suggested that the overall levels of neuroticism and anxiety
statistically accounted for the observed difference in the pre- and post-video
change in anxiety. This highlights the potential importance of these
personality traits and indicates that if individuals are highly neurotic or
anxious in general, they may benefit from ASMR videos even if they do not
experience the tingling sensation.
Overall,
these findings suggest that ASMR experiencers may be characterised by greater
levels of neuroticism as well as anxiety disorders than non-experiencers. The
results also suggest that ASMR could serve as an anxiety treatment for
individuals with elevated levels of neuroticism or anxiety in general. However,
the authors note, further research is needed to address the limitations of this
study and enhance understanding.
Charlotte
Eid, who led on the research as part of her MSc Psychology degree at
Northumbria, said: “As an experiencer of ASMR myself, I was very interested in
its potential benefits for people with anxiety. It is also evident within the
community that a lot of viewers watch AMSR specifically for this reason, with
many videos being themes around anxiety relief. Based on our results, if you
suffer from anxiety it is definitely worth checking if you can experience ASMR.
It is a free, accessible way to relax.”
Dr Joanna
Greer, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Northumbria University and Eid’s
academic supervisor at the time of the research, said: “As Charlotte's thesis
supervisor, it has been very rewarding to see her personal interest in ASMR
develop into this research project, and which has now been published in PLOS
ONE.
“I am
delighted that the anxiety relieving benefits of ASMR reported anecdotally by
experiencers has been supported empirically in this study. Whilst research interest in ASMR is growing,
there is still much we do not know about the phenomenon. Our results have paved
the way for more research investigating ASMR from a clinical perspective.”
A full copy of the paper,
entitled ‘Untangling the tingle: Investigating the
association between the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR),
neuroticism, and trait & state anxiety’ can
be found in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
Northumbria University’s Department of Psychology has a well-established and thriving community of
internationally recognised academics producing world-class research in areas
including neuroscience, language comprehension, working memory, sleep, health
and wellbeing, digital communication and nutritional interventions.
Adapted from a press
release by PLOS ONE.
