An electroencephalographic examination of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)

Fredborg, Beverley K.; Champagne-Jorgensen, Kevin; Desroches, Amy S.; Smith, Stephen D.

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2020.103053

Cited by 36 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Our finding supports the notion that ASMR is closely associated with emotional behavior rather than merely a sensory response. As we mentioned before, a growing body of studies has explored how ASMR elicits emotional arousal, which can be observed at different levels, such as psychological/behavioral ( Barratt & Davis, 2015 ), hemodynamical ( Lochte et al, 2018 ), and electrophysiological ( Fredborg et al, 2021 ; Poerio et al, 2018 ). We now show that this phenomenon is also associated with strategies that allow us to control (regulate and manage) emotions when facing emotionally arousing situations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response self-reporters showed higher scores for cognitive reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy

Morales

Ramírez-Benavides

Villena‐González

2021

PeerJ

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Background Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) describes the experience of a pleasant tingling sensation along the back of the head, accompanied with a feeling of well-being and relaxation, in response to specific audio-visual stimuli, such as whispers, soft sounds, and personal attention. Previous works have assessed individual variations in personality traits associated with ASMR, but no research to date has explored differences in emotion regulation associated with ASMR. This omission occurred even when ASMR, a sensory-emotional experience, has been proposed to be located in a sound sensitivity spectrum as the opposite end of misophonia, a phenomenon associated with difficulties regulating emotions. The present work aimed to assess group differences between ASMR self-reporters and non-ASMR controls associated with emotion regulation strategies. Methods We used the validated Spanish version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire to assess individual differences in the use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Results Our results showed that participants who experience ASMR had higher scores in the cognitive reappraisal subscale of the emotion regulation questionnaire than the non-ASMR group. Conclusions Individuals who experience ASMR reported higher use of cognitive reevaluation of emotionally arousing situations, suggesting more effectiveness in regulating emotions. Our finding further elucidates individual differences related to this experience, supporting that ASMR is a real psychophysiological phenomenon associated with other psychological constructs and has remarkable consequences in affective/emotional dimensions and general well-being.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response self-reporters showed higher scores for cognitive reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy

Morales

Ramírez-Benavides

Villena‐González

2021

PeerJ

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“…Neurophysiological parameters are also involved in the ASMR phenomenon: for example, Poerio et al [2] claimed that ASMR videos produced sensations of both calmness and excitement, measured by different neurophysiological tools; Lochte et al [10] claimed that ASMR increased activity in brain regions typically related to reward activation, emotional arousal, and social engagement, suggesting that ASMR may be similar to social grooming; Fredborg et al [12] reported an increased alpha, gamma, and sensorimotor rhythm activity, which may indicate changes in attentional control; in addition, Smith et al [8,9] sustained that ASMR participants showed significantly reduced functional connectivity in the DMN brain regions. An important contribution to our study is given by Valtakari et al [20]: they examined the tingles' experiences and found them to be accompanied by a growing pupil diameter (4.03 mm), considering this as a physiological characteristic trait of ASMR-experiencers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another point of view we considered to examine the ASMR phenomenon was the brain activity. A lot of research has been reported; for example, Fredborg et al [12] and Lee et al [13] found an increased Alpha wave activity, associated with a certain form of meditative state, and Smith et al [8,9] observed a greater brain connectivity in the areas involved with the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN [42] is a brain network that comprises the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, temporal lateral and temporalparietal regions, and posterior medial cortex [43,44]: these brain areas are activated by states of resting, spontaneous mental activity, spontaneous thinking, self-referenced thoughts, daydreaming imagination, plans, and expectations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We believe that the lack of differences in brain activity between ASMR and Rest is caused by this brain activity. In brief, according to Smith et al [8,9] and Fredborg et al [12], it could be that ASMR could trigger the brain's DMN status and elicit a sort of meditative state. The usage of NeuroSky technology is, of course, a "double-edged sword": on the one hand, it is very robust to motion artifacts, so it allows ecological data mining; on the other hand, its sensitivity and precision are very low.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, Wang et al [11] investigated the influence of ASMR on the performance of executive functions in both ASMR and control individuals, finding that some executive functions of ASMR individuals slowed down after the ASMR video (specifically set shifting and inhibitory control). Finally, recent studies compared brain activity studied through the use of EEG: Fredborg et al [12] examined brain waves related to ASMR through the use of electroencephalography (EEG). They found that ASMR auditory stimuli increased alpha wave activity (alpha power-in addition to theta-has been associated with meditative states [13]) in participants with self-reported ASMR.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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ASMR as Idiosyncratic Experience: Experimental Evidence

Pedrini

Guazzini

2021

IJERPH

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The Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation across the scalp that occur in response to specific triggering audio and visual stimuli, connected with the Default Mode Network. Our study (N = 76) aimed to test the neurophysiology of ASMR by examining pupil diameter and brain activity. Assuming the idiosyncratic nature of ASMR, we expected results detecting opposite physiological outcomes considering pupil diameter and brain activation. We used a battery of self-reports to investigate psychological dimensions; for the physiological measures, we used two instruments: PupilCore and NeuroSky MindWave Mobile 2. The results showed an augmented pupillary diameter during the ASMR video, regardless of the perception of tingles. On the other hand, the arousal level during the ASMR video was lower than the other conditions. The difference between the two neurophysiological measures appeared as peculiar and can be considered as the promoting phenomenon for ASMR psychological outcomes.

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Structural differences in the cortex of individuals who experience the autonomous sensory meridian response

2023

Self Cite

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Background and purpose The autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a multimodal perceptual phenomenon in which specific sensory triggers evoke tingling sensations on the scalp, neck, and shoulders; these sensations are accompanied by a positive and calming affective state. Previous functional neuroimaging research has shown that ASMR experiences involve medial prefrontal and sensorimotor brain areas. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether there are structural differences in the cortex of individuals who experience ASMR. Methods Seventeen individuals with ASMR and 17 matched control participants completed an MPRAGE structural MRI scan. These data were analyzed to determine if group differences were present for measures of cortical thickness, cortical complexity, sulcal depth, and gyrification. Results ASMR was associated with reduced cortical thickness in a number of regions including the left precuneus, precentral gyrus, and insula, and the right orbitofrontal cortex, superior frontal cortex, and paracentral lobule. Reduced thickness was observed bilaterally in the supramarginal gyrus. Individuals with ASMR also showed less cortical complexity in the pars opercularis and pars triangularis. Conclusions The differences in cortical thickness and complexity were in brain areas whose functions relate to the ASMR experience. These differences include neural regions related to phonological processing, sensorimotor functions, and attention.

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An electroencephalographic examination of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)

Cited by 36 publications

References 37 publications

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response self-reporters showed higher scores for cognitive reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response self-reporters showed higher scores for cognitive reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy

ASMR as Idiosyncratic Experience: Experimental Evidence

Structural differences in the cortex of individuals who experience the autonomous sensory meridian response

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