There are millions of YouTube videos with people crinkling bubble wrap or whispering about folding laundry. Our guest talks about why autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) makes her, and many others, feel more calm and happy.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ye4p3tkw

Episode summary:

Melinda still remembers the tingling feeling she felt when she first listened to the close-up sound of someone drawing on a TV show at the age of ten. She learned later that the subtle sounds that create soothing sensations for her are called autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR. Now, she creates ASMR experiences on her YouTube channel and through her live production company, Whisperlodge — from delicately handling a plastic package to gently stroking a microphone with a makeup brush. In today's show, Melinda demystifies the world of ASMR and how it brings both calm and delight to her and her participants. Later, we hear about the emerging science behind ASMR from Dr. Giulia Poerio, who studies it in her lab at the University of Essex. As it turns out, those tingles might actually benefit our mental health.

Today’s Science of Happiness Guests:

Melinda Lauw, is the co-creator of Whisperlodge, an immersive ASMR theater experience.

Check out some ASMR videos from Whisperlodge's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Whisperlodge

Learn more about Whisperlodge: https://whisperlodge.nyc/

Follow Melinda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melinda.lauw/

Follow Melinda on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melindalauw

Giulia Poerio is a psychology professor at the University of Essex who studies the effects of ASMR on the mind and body.

Learn more about her work: https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/poeri14804/giulia-poerio

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

More Resources for ASMR:

Tell us your thoughts about ASMR. Do you get tingly sensations?  Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

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