Nicole Arce, Author at Headphonesty

Choosing the right headphones can make your brain-tingly ASMR experience even better. The sound of a hairbrush running through hair, fingernails tapping on wood, or feathers rustling in the air. The sounds that these objects make may seem inconsequential, but for a lot of people, these sounds can trigger a euphoric experience. Even celebrities like Cardi B and Nina Dobrev are jumping into the bandwagon by creating their own tingle-inducing videos. In this article, you’ll learn: what this phenomenon called ASMR is, how it works, and what people feel when they watch ASMR videos. the most common triggers that stimulate ASMR. what detail in sound means and why it’s important to consider when buying headphones for ASMR. how to use an equalizer to make an ASMR video sound better. the different headphone form factors and the best ones for listening to ASMR. the differences between closed-back and open-back headphones and their effect on ASMR videos. how noise-canceling headphones help make listening to ASMR videos better. If you’re ready to dive in, let’s get started. Quick Links Click to jump to section What is ASMR? Common Triggers Associated With ASMR 7 Crucial Factors for Picking the Best ASMR Headphones Great detail retrieval Neutral sound signature Closed-back or open-back Comfortable to wear Noise cancellation Headphones impedance Quality of the source What Is ASMR? ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is a euphoric sensation that many people feel when they watch certain stimulating videos. This phenomenon wasn’t widely acknowledged until 2010. In that year, cybersecurity professional Jennifer Allen coined the term ASMR and launched an ASMR Facebook group, which has now evolved into a Facebook page. ASMR has gone mainstream. There’s a huge online community of people who enjoy ASMR videos. This ASMR subreddit, for instance, has more than 200,000 followers. If you do a quick search on YouTube, you’ll find thousands of ASMR videos with millions of views. For example, this video of HunniBee ASMR chewing on purple food already has 2.6 million views after being uploaded just a week ago. Another YouTube video creator, Gracev, already has more than 290,000 views for a two-day old video of her role-playing a makeup artist. How does the sensation of ASMR feel? People watch ASMR videos for the “brain orgasm” it gives them. Contrary to its name, it isn’t so much a sexual sensation as a relaxing feeling that’s often accompanied by tingling. It begins on the scalp and back of the head. Then it moves down the length of the back. Sometimes, the tingles can spread out to the shoulders and down the arms and legs. Why do people watch ASMR videos? People watch ASMR videos because they want to relax. In a 2015 study on ASMR, most participants said ASMR videos helped them relax, fall asleep, and deal with stress. In fact, 80% said they felt better while listening to ASMR videos, although the mood boost declined over time, suggesting that ASMR might provide at least some temporary relief in depression symptoms. 38 out of 91 participants who had chronic pain also said they felt less pain while watching ASMR videos. The effect lasted even three hours after watching. How does ASMR work? Science has yet to explain how ASMR works, but early research shows people with certain personality traits may be more prone to experiencing ASMR. A 2017 study shows people who scored high in the traits Openness-to-Experience and Neuroticism in the Big Five Personality Inventory are more likely to experience brain tingles. People who are more open to experience are more inquisitive, artistic, and prone to bouts of daydreaming and fantasy. Those who score high in neuroticism are more anxious and self-conscious than average. Common Triggers Associated With ASMR. There’s a variety of stimuli that can trigger ASMR. These are largely auditory cues, but they can also be visual and kinesthetic. ASMR video creator, or ASMRtist, Maria of GentleWhispering, who currently has 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube, says it’s best to expose yourself to various triggers. This helps keep you sensitive to the triggers and prevents you from becoming immune to stimuli. In general, people who experience ASMR get triggered by four common stimuli: Whispering Personal attention Crisp sounds Slow movements 1. Whispering. By itself, the soothing sound of a human voice whispering sweet nothings into your ear can help you relax. But when the whispering is magnified through online media, such as YouTube videos and podcasts like The ASMR Podcast, it can trigger head tingles. For 75% of participants in the 2015 study, whispering was a common trigger for ASMR. With 2.47 million YouTube subscribers, ASMR Darling creates a lot of crowd favorites. This video of her whispering close to the mic includes a lot of intense mouth sounds, including sk, ts, sh, and shk sounds. 2. Personal Attention. ASMR is not only triggered by sounds. In many people, they are also triggered by role-playing scenarios, particularly one where they are given close personal attention. Examples include getting a head massage or being stroked in the face or hair. These videos are typically shot from the point of view of the viewer so that when the person on the video is caressing your face, she’s actually caressing the camera. In this video, ASMR Zeitgeist gives you a relaxing head massage, along with some other relaxing sounds and soothing whispers. 3. Crisp Sounds. Crisp sounds such as crinkling wrapping paper, tapping on wood, or trickling water can be strangely satisfying. For many people who experience ASMR, these sounds are an easy trigger. This video by ASMRMagic is an hour-long compilation of some of the crispest ASMR sounds. It starts off with crinkly cardboard packaging and ends with a fluffy mic massage. It even includes a cactus that sounds like trickling rainwater. 4. Slow Movements. In a study, 53% of respondents said they experienced ASMR when watching videos of people making slow movements. There are no limits when it comes to what sort of movement can trigger ASMR. Some people are triggered by the slow tapping of long fingernails on glass, stroking the mic with a makeup brush, or even just stroking the air with a comb. ASMR PPOMO has put together several slow movements into this video to help her viewers relax and fall asleep. The triggers include slow hand movements, breathing, tapping, hair stroking, and ear brushing. 7 Crucial Factors for Picking the Best ASMR Headphones. ASMR videos are largely based on sound. This is why it’s important to find a great pair of headphones if you want to maximize your ASMR experience. While any decent pair of headphones will work, there are certain headphones that are designed to give you the best listening experience for ASMR. The following are what you should look for. Great detail retrieval Neutral sound signature Closed-back or open-back Comfortable to wear Noise cancellation Headphones impedance Quality of the source 1. Great detail retrieval. Details are the low-level components that make up a sound. Having detail-oriented headphones means you get to easily pick up the finer, subtler details of sound. ASMR videos have a lot of detailed audio. One example of detail you typically find in them are the transient sounds of the consonants k, p, s, and t whispered through the microphone. These sounds start with a sudden burst of energy before leveling off. A great pair of headphones should be able to pick up these details so that you can be exposed to all the possible triggers in an ASMR video. Since your ultimate goal is to relax with the help of ASMR videos, headphones for ASMR shouldn't end up having you dissecting the different sounds separately. You still want something that allows all the components of the audio to come together harmoniously and smoothly. How to tune headphones for ASMR? Sound engineers use equalizers to balance the volume of different frequencies. Equalizers were originally used in physical venues. For example, if a concert hall responds better to high-frequency instruments, such as a xylophone, the equalizer is turned down in the higher end (cutting) while turning up (boosting) the low-range frequencies. Graphic equalizers are also available to casual listeners in hardware and software form. Most car stereos have dual-band equalizers for low and high frequencies. More advanced sound systems can have up to 12 bands, while musical equipment for the pros can have up to 30 bands. The human ears are most sensitive to midrange audio frequencies. These sounds range from 250Hz on the lower midrange to 4kHz on the higher midrange. Lower midrange (250Hz to 500Hz) – This range contains the body and character of the human voice. If audio is lacking in this band, sounds are flat and hollow. Midrange (500Hz to 2kHz) – Dialogue, vocals, and sound effects used in videos are in this range. When sound engineers want their audio to “pop,” they boost the midrange. Higher midrange (2kHz to 4kHz) – The human ears naturally amplify sounds in the higher midrange. It’s easy to hear if sound is lacking in this range because the ears are like a natural amplifier. They easily pick up sounds residing in this range. An equalizer allows you to boost the midrange to increase the amount of detail that your headphones can pick up. 2. Neutral sound signature. Every pair of headphones produces its own unique sound. Some headphones tend to lean toward one end of the spectrum to amplify certain frequencies. This unique sound profile is what makes up the headphones’ sound signature. The best headphones for any situation should have a sound signature that matches what you’re listening to. While each pair of headphones has its own sound profile, sound signatures are grouped into six general categories: Neutral. Bright. Analytical. Warm. Dark. V-shaped. Headphones with a neutral sound signature are the best for listening to ASMR. 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