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Changing definition

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I get the feeling that this article is not really describing the term ASMR as it is most frequently used today. The boom in ASMR popularity is around what I might call imaginary touching, the best example being imaginary massage. People find this audio and/or visual experience to be extremely soothing, although they are embarassed to let others know that. I think this article describes the developing definition of ASMR: https://mashable.com/article/asmr-youtube-videos-shame --Westwind273 (talk) 02:32, 27 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Edits to ASMR Article

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This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 7 January 2025 and 2 May 2025. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): HarmoniousHumor (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by HarmoniousHumor (talk) 01:01, 12 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I added a subsection under "Triggers" titled "Mukbang" to explain how this form of video content incorporates ASMR triggers like chewing, swallowing, and crunching.

For my second edit, I updated the "Music" section by adding a clearly written paragraph about Holly Herdon's song "Lonely at the Top" and how it includes ASMR sound effects like soft whispers, clicking, and fabric sounds. I also replaced the excessive citations with one reliable source from Refinery29.

For my last edit, I added a bullet point to "Triggers" mentioning an "unlikely trigger" being laughing and smiling.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by HarmoniousHumor (talk • contribs) 20:40, 12 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Added citations to citations needed

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I have made some citational additions and edits to the article to assist in filling the tagged citation needed paragraphs.

1. doi:10.7717/peerj.851 was referenced twice in article[[1]], so I removed the one that was referenced to only once and replaced it with the other already existing citation.
2. I added doi:10.3390/s22031264 (currently reference 24 in article) for ASMR#Triggers section under natural sounds, including rain or firewood burning.
3. I added doi:10.18061/emr.v13i1-2.6012 (reference 18) to article section ASMR#Variance. Paper was undertaken at Ohio State University and includes extensive study of comments made on ASMR, and categorises people into specific 'control groups'. It was the most relevant paper to the paragraph where it has been referenced. (Ref already existed - I replaced refs I added with pre-existing ref.) 11wallisb (talk) 01:56, 24 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I believe these references are legitimate. Would be happy to have them looked over by somebody else for confirmation to make sure they meet WP:RS/PS.

Will update this if I find more references for remaining citation needed tags in article. Thanks! 11wallisb (talk) 17:57, 22 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

4. Added doi:10.1016/j.concog.2023.103584 to ASMR#Personal_attention. Paper discusses topic relevant to this paragraph. 11wallisb (talk) 20:38, 22 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I removed several instances of reference duplicates (New York Times, Manduley Aida, Ohio State) - I kept the archived versions and changed the others to ref name of the archived citations per WP:CS#Duplicate_citations. 11wallisb (talk) 22:33, 22 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Prevalence

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Grok 3.5 Deepsearch just told me that ASMR is prevalent in about 10% to 20% of the population. Not a reliable source of course, and honestly it pulls it from what seems to just be vulgarisation sites. Nothing too fancy. And I'm certainly not an expert myself. having lost the ability long ago in my teens. I'm just here to point out, that I find odd that we only learn halfway trough the article that some people do not experience it. In the Verifiability chapter. Shouldn't there be mentions earlier, maybe an attempt at a prevalence estimate? Iluvalar (talk) 02:45, 3 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Iluvalar, AI is not recommended to be used as a point of reference on Wikipedia anywhere. You are right that not everybody experiences ASMR from what we know, however this information would need to be backed up by reliable sources, and studies where possible. 11WB (talk) 04:51, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

GA review

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GA toolbox
Reviewing
This review is transcluded from Talk:ASMR/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: 11WB (talk · contribs) 02:21, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Reviewer: IPOfAFlower (talk · contribs) 15:22, 9 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]


This is my first full review

Initial: The article looks fine at a quick glance

Criteria

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Rate Attribute Review Comment
1. Well-written:
1a. the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct. It's understandable to me but I may not count as the typical person
1b. it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation.

Unable to verify MOS:WTW but I do assume there arn't any because there where no feelings that pointed me to that.

2. Verifiable with no original research, as shown by a source spot-check:
2a. it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline.
2b. reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose).
2c. it contains no original research.
2d. it contains no copyright violations or plagiarism. Nothing in Earwig before full using the generated table below
3. Broad in its coverage:
3a. it addresses the main aspects of the topic. Unsure if I need to check for further sources but this satisfys my autodiatect need to learn.
3b. it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style).
4. Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each.
5. Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute. As of 10 December 2025
6. Illustrated, if possible, by media such as images, video, or audio:
6a. media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content. All media is freely licenced
6b. media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions. Done - ASMR#Earlier (in caption) could add (pictured) after Virginia Woolf's name to show relevence, but it is not required.
7. Overall assessment.

Source Check

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This table checks 56 passages from throughout the article (50.5% of 111 total passages). These passages contain 79 inline citations (51.3% of 154 in the article). Generated with the Veracity user script. - Flower (she/her; Accounts) 15:22, 9 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Reference # Letter Source Archive Status Notes
An illustration of the route of ASMR's tingling sensation
1 a ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Good
is a tingling sensation that usually begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. A pleasant form of paresthesia,
5 a doi.org Good Seemed kinda borderline to me at the start but end of pg. 102 and the start of pg. 103 said otherwise
it has been compared with auditory-tactile synesthesia
6 sro.sussex.ac.uk web.archive.org Not Done Not verified by source. ASMR (nor the expanded version) is not mentioned when searching through it.
7 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Not Done Same as above
8 a emusicology.org web.archive.org Good
Although many colloquial and formal terms used and proposed between 2007 and 2010 included reference to orgasm, a significant majority objected to its use among those active in online discussions. Many differentiate between the euphoric, relaxing nature of ASMR and sexual arousal.
10 mcgilldaily.com web.archive.org Good Partial verification, but I assume this is just because the first part is on a different reference
Early proponents of ASMR concluded that the phenomenon was generally unrelated to sexual arousal. In 2010, Jennifer Allen, a participant in an online forum, proposed that the phenomenon be named "autonomous sensory meridian response". Allen chose the words intending or assuming them to have the following specific meanings:
13 a nytimes.com web.archive.org Good Mentions Wikipedia but its fine per the WP:CIRC exception
In that interview, Allen explained she selected the word meridian to replace the word orgasm and said she had found a dictionary that defined meridian as "a point or period of highest development, greatest prosperity, or the like".
14 b asmruniversity.com web.archive.org Good Mentions Wikipedia but its fine per the WP:CIRC exception
15 dictionary.com Good
The tingling sensation on one's skin in general, called paresthesia, is referred to by ASMR enthusiasts as "tingles" when experienced along the scalp, neck, and back.
16 a e-space.mmu.ac.uk web.archive.org Good
17 doi.org Not Done verification failed for paresthesia (exists in other sources though)
It has been described as "a static tingling sensation originating from the back of the head, then propagating to the neck, shoulder, arm, spine, and legs, which makes people feel relaxed and alert".
5 b doi.org Good
Analysis of this anecdotal evidence support the original consensus that ASMR is euphoric but non-sexual, and it has divided those who experience ASMR into two broad categories of subjects. One category depends upon external triggers to experience the localized sensation and its associated feelings, which typically originate in the head, often reaching down the neck and sometimes the upper back.
8 c emusicology.org web.archive.org Good Worded really well for Wikipedia standards
ASMR triggers, which are most commonly auditory and visual, may be encountered through the interpersonal interactions of daily life. Additionally, ASMR is often triggered by exposure to specific audio and video. Such media may be specially made with the specific purpose of triggering ASMR, or created for other purposes and later discovered to be effective as a trigger.
1 c ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Good Considering everything in the article, this is explicitly said
Listening to a softly spoken or whispering voice
20 a vox.com Good Said in a better source so I assume its said here and I do not have full access
Listening to tapping, typically with one's nails onto hard surfaces
20 b vox.com Good Said in a better source so I assume its said here. As above, I do not have access to vox.
Listening to quiet, repetitive sounds resulting from someone engaging in a mundane task, such as turning the pages of a book
23 wbur.org ??? Unreliable and re-publisher? Content seems to be on other sources so it should be fine to just replace
Receiving personal attention, such as having one's makeup applied, hair styled, or a medical exam performed.
20 d vox.com Good Same as other vox ones
Listening to "crinkly" items such as paper, clothes, and substances such as styrofoam
20 e vox.com Good Same as other vox ones
Listening to certain types of music
8 d emusicology.org web.archive.org Not Done Source says otherwise
A 2017 study of 130 survey respondents found that lower-pitched, complex sounds, and slow-paced, detail-focused videos are especially effective triggers.
25 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Good
In addition to the effectiveness of specific auditory stimuli, many subjects report that ASMR is triggered by the receipt of tender personal attention, often comprising combined physical touch and vocal expression, such as when having their hair cut, nails painted, ears cleaned, or back massaged while the service provider speaks quietly to the recipient.
22 b sciencedirect.com ?
Furthermore, many of those who have experienced ASMR during these and other comparable encounters with a service provider report that watching an "ASMRtist" simulate the provision of such personal attention, acting directly to the camera as if the viewer were the recipient of a simulated service, is sufficient to trigger it.
9 d doi.org ?
27 themarysue.com web.archive.org ?
The official contemporary history of ASMR began on 19 October 2007 on a discussion forum for health-related subjects at a website called Steady Health.
31 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ?
Replies to this post indicated that a significant number of other people had experienced the sensation described by "okaywhatever", also in response to witnessing mundane events. These interchanges precipitated the formation of a number of web-based locations intended to facilitate further discussion and analysis of the phenomenon, for which there were plentiful anecdotal accounts,
18 b slate.com web.archive.org ?
19 c issuu.com web.archive.org ?
Clemens J. Setz suggests that a passage from the novel Mrs Dalloway, written by Virginia Woolf and published in 1925, describes something comparable:
33 a sueddeutsche.de web.archive.org ?
34 blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk web.archive.org ?
A nursemaid speaks to a man who is her patient "deeply, softly, like a mellow organ, but with a roughness in her voice like a grasshopper's, which rasped his spine deliciously and sent running up into his brain waves of sound".
35 a books.google.com web.archive.org ?
There is no known source for the origin of ASMR because it has yet to be identified as having biological correlations. Even so, a majority of descriptions of ASMR by those who experience it compare the sensation to that precipitated by a tender physical touch, providing such examples as having one's hair cut or combed. This has led to the conjecture that ASMR might be related to the act of grooming.
36 a Young, Julie & Blansert, Ilse (2015). ASMR. Idiot's Guides. Alpha. ISBN 978-1-61564-818-4. ?
The most popular source of stimuli reported by subjects to be effective in triggering ASMR is video. Videos reported being effective in triggering ASMR generally fall into two categories: intentional and unintentional. Intentional media is created by those known as "ASMRtists" to deliberately trigger ASMR in viewers and listeners. Unintentional media is that made for other reasons, often before attention was drawn to the phenomenon in 2007, but which some subjects discover to be effective in triggering ASMR. Examples of unintentional media include British author John Butler
38 inews.co.uk web.archive.org ?
and American painter Bob Ross. In Ross's episodes of his television series The Joy of Painting, both broadcast and on YouTube, his soft, gentle speaking mannerisms and the sound of his painting and his tools triggers the effect in some viewers.
39 newsweek.com web.archive.org ?
40 forbes.com web.archive.org ?
and categories of dedicated live ASMR streams exist on Twitch, Kick, Instagram, and TikTok. Several online content creators have risen to fame from posting content surrounding ASMR, including YouTubers like Gentle Whispering (Maria Viktorovna) and Gibi ASMR, who had over 1.6 and 1.8 million subscribers in 2019, respectively.
43 scmp.com ?
13 b nytimes.com web.archive.org ?
Some ASMR video creators use binaural recording techniques to simulate the acoustics of a three-dimensional environment, reported to elicit in viewers and listeners the experience of being in proximity to the actor or vocalist.
44 a theverge.com web.archive.org ?
Binaural recordings are made specifically to be heard through headphones rather than loudspeakers. When listening to sound through loudspeakers, the left and right ear can both hear the sound coming from both speakers. In contrast, when listening to sound through headphones, the sound from the left earpiece is audible only to the left ear, and the sound from the right earpiece is audible only to the right ear. In producing binaural media, the sound source is recorded by two separate microphones that remain in separate channels on the final medium, whether video or audio.
46 binaural.com web.archive.org ?
The term "binaural beats" (relating to ASMR) was primarily developed by the Monroe Institute as part of Stargate Project or "Project Gateway" or "Gateway Experience"
47 cia.gov ?
48 monroeinstitute.org ?
A study undertaken in 2018 attempted to determine whether ASMR truly exists or is instead a placebo. With participants who had previous exposure to ASMR and participants who did not, they concluded that with not understanding its exact mechanism and why only some individuals experience ASMR, the results were indeterminate.
51 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ?
It has been estimated that 60% of the general population do experience ASMR and the remaining 40% do not.
52 palatinate.org.uk ?
Integral to the subjective experience of ASMR is a localized tingling sensation that many describe as similar to being gently touched, but which is stimulated by watching and listening to audiovisual media in the absence of any physical contact with another person. These reports have precipitated comparison between ASMR and synesthesia – a condition characterized by the excitation of one sensory modality by stimuli that normally exclusively stimulates another,
55 a doi.org web.archive.org ?
such as when the hearing of a specific sound induces the visualization of a distinct color, shape, or object (a type of synesthesia called chromesthesia). Thereby, people with other types of synesthesia report, for example, "seeing sounds" in the case of auditory-visual synesthesia, or "tasting words" in the case of lexical-gustatory synesthesia.
56 search.worldcat.org ?
57 Cytowic, Richard E. & Eagleman, David M. (2009). Wednesday is indigo blue: discovering the brain of… ?
58 search.worldcat.org ?
For example, those who have misophonia often report that specific human sounds, including those made by eating, breathing, whispering, or repetitive tapping noises, can precipitate feelings of anger and disgust in the absence of any previously learned associations that might otherwise explain those reactions.
59 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ?
The tingling sensation that characterizes ASMR has been compared and contrasted to frisson.
62 nme.com web.archive.org ?
63 dictionary.cambridge.org web.archive.org ?
64 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ?
Although ASMR and frisson are "interrelated in that they appear to arise through similar physiological mechanisms", individuals who have experienced both describe them as qualitatively different, with different kinds of triggers.
69 doi.org ?
A 2018 fMRI study showed that the major brain regions already known to be activated in frisson are also activated in ASMR,
37 b ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ?
While some journalists and commentators have portrayed ASMR as intimate, they go on to say there is no evidence of any connection between ASMR and sexual arousal.
71 b theguardian.com web.archive.org ?
72 splinternews.com web.archive.org ?
73 theverge.com web.archive.org ?
ASMR has established a presence in the art world, Imogen West-Knights writing for ArtReview said that creators have found "new ways to innovate: to find new triggers for the sensations, and thereby draw more viewers to their content".
75 a artreview.com ?
In 2022, an expanded iteration of the exhibition opened at the Design Museum in London.
75 b artreview.com ?
78 designmuseum.org web.archive.org ?
79 dezeen.com web.archive.org ?
80 standard.co.uk web.archive.org ?
The YouTube channel "PARIS ASMR" was invited by the Louvre Museum in 2019 to use empty space at the museum to film some of his videos.
82 b doi.org ?
84 brut.media ?
Berlin-based artist Claire Tolan collaborated with noted composer Holly Herndon and exhibited widely in North America and Europe. She subsequently went on to work consistently in this genre.
86 rupert.lt web.archive.org ?
The first digital arts installation specifically inspired by ASMR was created by American artist Julie Weitz and called Touch Museum, which opened at the Young Projects Gallery on 13 February 2015 and comprised video screenings distributed throughout seven rooms.
89 a lacanvas.com web.archive.org ?
90 latimes.com web.archive.org ?
91 youngprojectsgallery.com web.archive.org ?
The music for Julie Weitz's Touch Museum's digital art installation was composed by Benjamin Wynn under his pseudonym "Deru", and was the first musical composition specifically created for a live ASMR arts event.
89 b lacanvas.com web.archive.org ?
Artists Sophie Mallett and Marie Toseland created 'a live binaural sound work' composed of ASMR triggers and broadcast by Resonance FM in 2015, the listings for which advised the audience to "listen with headphones for the full sensory effect".
94 resonancefm.com web.archive.org ?
95 resonancefm.com web.archive.org ?
Musique concrète has been found to be relevant to ASMR due to the nature of "natural" and "cultural" existing in a non-fixed way. New materialism has also been connected to ASMR through vibration and body sensitive stimuli.
98 ceeol.com ?
Music influenced by musique concrète can evoke an ASMR experience, as with Pink Floyd's "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" (1970). This sensory-driven track has been retroactively described as ASMR-adjacent by critics and fans, particularly due to its immersive kitchen sounds and whispered narration.
99 cultfollowing.co.uk ?
These examples include the scene in the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands where Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest) applies makeup to Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp). The unintentional triggers here included caring strokes and personal attention.
100 b filmstories.co.uk ?
There have been three successfully crowdfunded projects, each based on proposals to make a film about ASMR: two documentaries and one fictional piece. As of 2025, neither of the documentaries have been completed.
102 braingasm-film.com web.archive.org ?
A scene featuring an ASMR content creator, Slight Sounds, was featured in the coming-of-age horror movie We're All Going to the World's Fair.
106 acmi.net.au ?
Multiple movies have been collaboratively recreated by Gibi ASMR. On February 27, 2021, The ASMR Bee Movie premiered on YouTube, viewable on Gibi ASMR's YouTube channel. This recreation is entirely whispered, with human ASMR creators in costumes of the original movie's characters. The full 95 minute long recreation was synced to the Netflix release of the film, with the intention of side-by-side viewing.
108 interconnected.org ?
ASMR has been traced back to the 1925 novel Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, which describes a sensation similar to that of ASMR.
33 b sueddeutsche.de web.archive.org ?
35 b books.google.com web.archive.org ?
In March 2013, the American weekly hour-long radio program This American Life broadcast the first short story on the subject of ASMR, called "A Tribe Called Rest", authored and read by American novelist and screenwriter Andrea Seigel.
110 Seigel, Andrea (29 March 2013). "Tribes". This American Life. Episode 491. Event occurs at 28:16. W… ?
In 2001, in her novel A Brief Stay with the Living, Marie Darrieussecq describes the sensation in several pages (see for example pp. 21–22), describing a visit to an ophthalmologist:
112 Marie Darrieussecq, A Brief Stay with the Living, Faber and Faber, 2003, translation by Ian Monk. B… ?
Writer and filmmaker Laura Nagy released Pillow Talk in 2021, an Audible Original podcast, detailing her personal experience in the world of ASMR relationship role-play as an antidote to loneliness and a coping mechanism for anxiety and trauma.
114 vogue.com.au web.archive.org ?

Status

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for reviewer memory

  • Lead: ? In Progress
    • Overview: On Hold Seems fine on full readthrough with minor clairity issues
    • Summery Style: On Hold Haven't checked for body verification
    • First Paragraph: Good
    • First sentence: Good
    • Scope: Good Properly constrained

Requested Improvements/Talk

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  • Thank you for taking this on! I do have other commitments I'm working on at the moment, however I will make sure to dedicate some of my time and attention here. Thanks! 11WB (talk) 15:57, 9 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
    • @IPOfAFlower, regarding your suggestion to add 'pictured' to reference the image, this goes against Wikipedia's Manual of Style, specifically MOS:SEEIMAGE. This is what the caption directly under the image is for. 11WB (talk) 21:05, 9 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
      That comment was referring to the caption. - Flower (she/her; Accounts) 21:07, 9 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
      That would disrupt the flow of the sentence, so I have instead linked her name to her article.  Done 11WB (talk) 21:12, 9 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]
      That works. - Flower (she/her; Accounts) 21:12, 9 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]


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