If by pressing a button you could get the same sensation as the most pleasant, relaxing or enjoyable experience you’ve ever had, would you do it? If so, how often?
Back in the 1950s, a curious psychologist sought an answer to these questions. He installed electrodes in the pleasure centers of rats’ brains and gave them a lever to zap themselves. Not only did they like it, they became addicted, pressing the lever thousands of times a day and neglecting to eat, drink or sleep until they died.
If you are tempted to reply that “rats aren’t humans,” consider ASMR, a new phenomenon that suggests that, if given the chance, human beings will readily seek out the tingles in lieu of real-life experiences.
A recent article by Sam Kriss in The Spectator explains ASMR, which stands for autonomous sensory meridian response. It’s a sort of pleasant tingle or warmth many people say they experience when they hear certain sounds or watch someone manipulate the right object. For example, an exhibit at London’s Design Museum invites guests to snuggle into a giant, brain-shaped pillow, don a pair of headphones and watch strangely simple yet satisfying videos, like a “softly spoken Scandinavian man gently fingering some bed linens.” This, evidently, gives some people the tingles.
Other common ASMR triggers include “whispering, quiet voices, tapping or clicking, the sound of someone slowly chopping vegetables or softly stroking your face.” According to Kriss, an entire industry of self-proclaimed “ASMRtists” are exploding onto the online scene, and some are getting quite rich triggering oddly pleasant sensations. The most popular hosts on YouTube boast millions of subscribers. Most are young women who brush their lips or fingertips against microphones and whisper kind, affirming words. They pretend to ask you about your day or your feelings. They give you an imaginary face massage or cut your hair or just play with household objects close to the camera.