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Soothing Towel Sounds
The clacking of the keys on a keyboard, the crinkling of a bag of chips or a sheet of paper, the sounds of towels rubbing together. These are examples of noises that elicit the autonomous sensory meridian response, otherwise known as ASMR. The textile industry in Taiwan was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020 (1), so a recent (December 2023) study investigated if Taiwanese textile companies could use advertisements that produced audio-induced ASMR to increase consumer attention to advertisements, and interest and desire for products (2). But you’re probably wondering: what exactly is ASMR, and how could it do all of these things?
WHAT IS ASMR?
ASMR is described as a “‘low-grade euphoria’ characterized by ‘a combination of positive feelings and a distinct static-like tingling sensation on the skin’” (3). The term “ASMR” was coined by Youtuber Jennifer Allen, who is credited with posting the first intentional ASMR video on October 6, 2009. Ever since then, the internet has been filled with creators posting ASMR videos that get millions of views. An entire online community was born from this one creator describing her experience and making a video to elicit the response, and people with similar experiences who never had a way to put it into words began sharing their experiences.
But, it turns out, only a certain portion of the population truly experiences the sensation of ASMR–that tingling that goes down your head, neck, back, and arms. Because of this, it has led some people to question if it really exists (5; 6). Well, some recent research shows that people who are more sensitive to sensory stimuli (touch, tastes, smells, sounds, and sights) are generally more likely to experience this sensation (4). Furthermore, these hypersensitive people (HSP), as it’s been termed, are also more prone to experience psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression. However, the question remains: what may be the specific neural mechanisms of ASMR?
The word “autonomous” in ASMR was originally used to have the meaning of “spontaneous” or “self-governing”, and “meridian” was derived from the pseudoscientific concept of “energy meridians” that “carry the hypothetical flow of qi in traditional Chinese medicine” (5). However, neuroscience research conducted after the creation of the term shows us that the use of “autonomous” may be accurate even on a scientific basis. That is because research has shown that ASMR produces effects in the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS; 7), a division of the autonomic nervous system that is responsible for maintaining your body and relaxing you (here is a NeuWrute article that talks about how the PSNS relaxs you). The phrase “rest and digest” is used to briefly summarize its role in the body, as opposed to the other division, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), of which the phrase “fight or flight” is used to describe its role. Interestingly, research has shown us that the SNS is generally more active in those with conditions like depression and anxiety; accordingly, this means its opposite, the PSNS, is less active. As we mentioned earlier, some people with these conditions are more likely to experience ASMR sensations. Could this then be the neural mechanism through which people experience ASMR?
Well, although research is sparse and has only gained traction in the past decade, much of the recent neuroscience research on individuals who experience ASMR points to the neural circuits responsible for pleasure, attention, and, yes, relaxation (8, 9, 10, 11, 12). Some studies (8) associated ASMR with physiological responses, such as reduced heart rate and other measures of attention that will be discussed later. This research, however, has not considered the implications of ASMR’s increase in attention for use in other scenarios, such as use in advertising. This is until researchers Chin-Chin Liang and Chao-Hui Li, from National Formosa University in Huwei, Taiwan, studied ASMR’s impact on attention and how it could benefit the Taiwanese textile industry by providing more attention-grabbing advertisements.
FROM ATTENTION TO PURCHASE INTENTION
Liang and Li saw the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the Taiwanese textile industry, and wanted to see if there was a way to enhance product visibility and save this dying industry (2). Research has shown that an effective advertisement significantly increases a consumer’s attention, and audio ASMR similarly increases attention. With this in mind, Liang & Li made 8 different hypotheses to show how effective advertising in conjunction with audio ASMR can be used to increase attention, interest, desire, memory, and purchase intention. An advertisement that piques consumer interest and grabs their attention is likely to increase interest in the product, desire for a product, memory of a product, and willingness to purchase a product. They then proposed that ASMR can be used synergistically with personalized marketing strategies to boost sales, and then set out to demonstrate how audio ASMR increased attention with self-report and physiological data.
The experiment conducted by Liang & Li divided participants into two groups, from a group who were all confirmed to experience ASMR: those who preferred the sensations of ASMR, and those who did not. The experiment used two measures to evaluate how the audio ASMR affected PSNS response: skin conductance response (SCR) and brainwave activity. SCR refers to the variation of the electrical characteristics of the skin and has been used as an indirect measure of SNS activity. Therefore, a decreased SCR value indicates a lesser response from SNS, which inevitably means greater PSNS activation.
On average, participants in the preferred group had lower SCR values, indicative of a more relaxed state, although some participants in the non-preferred group also showed lower SCR values in response to audio ASMR. Likewise, by measuring brainwave activity, researchers were able to see if audio ASMR clips improved consumers’ attention and purchase intentions, evidenced by increased activity in the left anterior frontal area (important for attention). This, taken together with previous research on attention’s effect on eventual purchase intention, supports all of the hypotheses made by Liang & Li, and thus indicates that audio ASMR used in advertisements can be used to boost sales. By taking into account both physiological and self-report data, the researchers concluded that PSNS activation contributes to both the ASMR experience and increased attention, and by activating the associated neural pathways, they could use audio ASMR for more effective marketing campaigns and advertisements.
CONCLUSION
The exploration of ASMR’s influence on attention and its potential application in advertising marks an intriguing intersection of neuroscience and marketing strategy. As Liang and Li’s research illuminates, the utilization of audio-induced ASMR in advertisements can offer a novel approach to captivate consumers, enhance product visibility, and ultimately invigorate industries facing decline, such as the textile sector in Taiwan. By tapping into the mechanisms of the parasympathetic nervous system, ASMR not only induces pleasurable sensations but also fosters a state of heightened attention, as evidenced by physiological responses and self-report data. This innovative synergy between science and marketing holds promise for reshaping consumer engagement strategies and ushering in a new era of tailored advertising experiences. As we delve deeper into the intricacies of ASMR and its neural underpinnings, the potential for its application in diverse domains continues to expand, offering a tantalizing prospect for both researchers and industry professionals alike.
REFERENCES
- https://cleanclothes-ea.org/en-27
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joss.12888
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASMR#cite_note-videos-2
- https://theconversation.com/if-you-love-asmr-you-might-be-more-sensitive-our-research-finds-177583
- https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4829
- https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/emotions-stress-and-anxiety/2021/testing-the-tingles-the-science-behind-asmr-020221
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355936074_The_Autonomous_Sensory_Meridian_Response_Activates_the_Parasympathetic_Nervous_System
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6010208/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6209833/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4380153/
- https://brill.com/view/journals/msr/30/6/article-p601_9.xml
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17470919.2016.1188851
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