autonomous sensory meridian response

noun

: asmr

… reports started to surface about ASMR, a handy acronym for the rather unwieldy "autonomous sensory meridian response." Put in plainer terms, it's the tingly, shivery feeling some people get when listening to a curious subset of sounds: crinkling wrapping paper, folding towels, whispering voices.

—Melissa Dahl

Autonomous sensory meridian response, popularized in YouTube videos and elsewhere online, is a term given to a physical sensation of euphoria and relaxation that's triggered by specific sounds and feelings, like someone whispering or fingers lightly stroking the bristles of a hairbrush.

—Kyle Martin

Examples of autonomous sensory meridian response in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Moreover, the TikToker himself is an ASMR content creator, not a mental health professional, who curates content with the specific intention of eliciting pleasurable autonomous sensory meridian responses. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

Streamers on the site, known largely for its gaming and esports communities, have also built sizable audiences through activities such as engaging in casual conversation, cooking meals and performing ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, content. —Angela Yang, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024

Videos of Chinese scalp treatments on social media are popular among seekers of ASMR — autonomous sensory meridian response — in which certain sounds promote tingling, goosebumps and other relaxing sensations. —Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024

Part of it has nothing to do with organizing itself: The videos fall into the broad, wildly popular genre of ASMR, which means that their audio is intended to generate an autonomous sensory meridian response—i.e., brain tingles—that can feel soothing or relaxing. —Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 8 Jan. 2024

Others incorporate elements of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response), amplifying the sights and sounds of every bite. —Sarah Garone, Health, 4 May 2023

For a living, Tessa does sound design and makes ASMR videos, short clips designed to trigger autonomous sensory meridian response, or the pleasant tingling sensation down the back of the neck and spine. —Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

2011, in the meaning defined above