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.

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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.

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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

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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

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Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

• Listen to our Happiness Break on silence: https://tinyurl.com/2hny7pcd

• Just One Thing: Pay Attention!: https://tinyurl.com/cm2xb86j

• What Music Looks Like in the Brain: https://tinyurl.com/2k9t3sjz

• Does Your Voice Reveal More Emotion Than Your Face?: https://tinyurl.com/ympr4brk

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More Resources for ASMR:

• TED - The brain science (and benefits) of ASMR: https://tinyurl.com/y8a89xv3

• Vox - ASMR, explained: why millions of people are watching YouTube videos of someone whispering: https://tinyurl.com/4j4kn7dh

• New York Times - How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation: https://tinyurl.com/2jke45k5

• NPR - Some People Get 'Brain Tingles' From These Slime Videos. What's Behind The Feeling?: https://tinyurl.com/2p8p4u7d

• National Geographic - ASMR or not? Unpicking the science behind a sensory phenomenon: https://tinyurl.com/yvnvuzk5

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Tell us your thoughts about ASMR. Do you get tingly sensations?  Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

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Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap