Anita finds a lot of ASMR videos to be deeply relaxing, but she doesn't get the well-hyped/well-documented 'brain tingles.' Why? She puts the question to a physiologist who's been exploring the science of ASMR for the past decade. Plus, she meets an ASMR artist who's entranced hundreds of thousands of people with her medical role play videos and a woman who turned to the world of Boyfriend ASMR to heal her broken heart.

Meet the guests:

- Craig Harris Richard, ASMR researcher and professor of biopharmaceutical sciences at Shenandoah University, digs into the data on what we know about ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response

- Semide, an ASMR artist, talks about the emotional work in her content creation and the parasocial relationships she forms with viewers

- Laura Nagy, filmmaker, writer and podcaster behind the 2021 Audible Original podcast “Pillow Talk,” shares how ASMR content helped her to open up to being vulnerable again 

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Check out Craig's ASMR podcasts: “Sleep Whispers” and “Calm History”

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Please note: This episode originally published March 15, 2024.

Update: Dr. Craig Richard is a co-author of a new seminal paper highlighting the research agenda for ASMR.