ASMR: a feeling of well-being combined with a tingling sensation in the scalp and down the back of the neck, as experienced by some people in response to a specific gentle stimulus, often a particular sound.
Freeskier Alex Hackel demonstrates the highly satisfying acoustic qualities of flexing a brand new ski for the first time. Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos are a super deep internet rabbit hole where you spend days exploring goosebump inducing sounds but we narrowed it down to the one all skiers can appreciate. Headphones on, volume up…press play. Did you get a little tingle?
If you are wondering like me if the ASMR is a bunch of hocus pocus woowoo hogwash you may be interested to know that there have been peer-reviewed studies on the subject that showed that people who experienced ASMR had reduced heart rate while watching ASMR videos, and the reduction was comparable to other relaxation methods. Have they been proven to have long lasting effects on mental health, no quite yet:
“If the question is, does ASMR stimuli provoke a physiological response in brain activity and in the body, then yes, there is some empirical evidence that it does. Is there empirical evidence that ASMR reliably changes mood or has lasting effects on mental health? No, there is not. There have not yet been large-scale clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of ASMR stimuli for those important mental health attributes.” -David E. Warren, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center Neuroscience Researcher
Whatever your opinion on ASMR might be, we can all agree that bending a fresh pair of skis in anticipation of riding for the first time is a highly satisfying experience, even if your blaring speed metal in noise canceling headphones.
