ASMR and How You Can Do It At Home

My friend @JonicaBradley asked about ASMR the other day and if this is something that can be done at home with your partner, so here's my response to that.

If you spend any time on YouTube, you’ve likely been suggested a video featuring ASMR. But what does that mean? ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or in English, the euphoric tingling sensation people feel in response to certain visuals and sounds. Tingling often begins in the head, shoulders, or spine before spreading to other parts of the body. It ultimately creates a sense of relaxation. What triggers you may vary, and are highly individual, but often are slow, repetitive, and ordinary activities. Some examples are hair brushing, finger tapping, and whispering.

While all of this is readily available for a person to enjoy whenever they choose on YouTube, there are also ways to enjoy this with your partner in person. But first, it’s important to know what ASMR triggers are and whether they work for you and/or your partner.

Top 6 Most Common ASMR Triggers

1. Whispering is the most common ASMR trigger. It’s featured more often in ASMR videos than any other trigger. Speaking softly works similarly for people who get the tingles from whispering. Sibilant sounds are often used and words can be repeated.

There are different types of whispering that produce ASMR. Binaural whispering is when you can hear which direction the sound is coming from. When recorded, binaural microphones are used. This one would be difficult to recreate at home, but if it’s one you enjoy, I highly recommend using ASMR headphones. These are my favorite to use because they’re comfortable even when lying down.

Inaudible or unintelligible whispering is another way to induce ASMR and something you can easily do at home. Try having your partner lie down or sit back in a recliner. Place yourself by their head and whisper into their ear. You can switch sides and go back and forth if you like. You don’t have to say anything that makes sense, even making shushing noises or psst sounds works.

A relaxing whisper is the final type of whisper ASMR. Try this, using the same technique as inaudible whispering mentioned above, quietly tell your partner everything will be okay, they’re loved, or whatever makes them comfortable.

2. Physical touch may seem impossible to do through a video, but it’s not. If physical touch is one of your triggers, even watching someone do the thing that makes you feel comfortable can work. Clearly this is one of the easiest forms of ASMR to do at home. Physical touch ASMR is usually something like hair brushing, face touching, and head massage/scratching. This can be coupled with personal attention, which is another trigger for some people. Looking into your partner’s eyes while speaking directly to them and brushing your hair is a very calming technique.

3. Does reading make you calm? The turning of pages can be relaxing to watch and hear. It’s easy to mimic at home in many ways. You and your partner can cuddle together on the couch while one of you reads and turns the pages of a physical book.

4. Eating sounds may make you crazy (they do for me), but for some people this is a serious ASMR trigger. Watching someone enjoy their food, the sounds (crunching, etc), and even slurping are triggers (in a good way) for some people. Making food can be a trigger as well, the repetitive motions and hand movements relax people. If cooking ASMR sounds like it could be a trigger for you or your partner, making a cake is a wonderful way to experience this.

5. Massages are the ultimate relaxing activity. Even if you can’t afford one on yourself, it can be relaxing to watch someone else give or receive a massage, a trigger that combines personal attention, physical touch, and soft speaking. A great way to do this at home is through a gentle massage on the face, where there’s a high density of nerve endings. A high quality moisturizer and/or a facial roller can further elevate the sensation.

6. Crinkling and squishing sounds can be a good ASMR trigger. Try using paper, aluminum foil, plastic wrappers, or even bubble wrap. Kinetic sand and water absorbing beads are finding popularity recently as well. This form of ASMR trigger couples hand movements with relaxing sounds.

ASMR is a relaxing way to unwind or to help you fall asleep before bed. Most anyone can benefit from it. If you are unsure about which ASMR triggers you enjoy, you may want to try watching a trigger assortment video. With a wide variety of ASMR triggers available, you are bound to find what’s right for you. The ones we’ve mentioned in this article are the easiest to recreate at home and can a fun way to connect with your partner or solo.

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