From the outside, the picture looks strange. Funny noises come from a bedroom door. We open it: an extended person listens to sounds. "Who can say it's not weird?" A guy whispers in my ear. At first, it baffled me like everyone else, ”recalls Martin, 28, who listens regularly to ASMR. An acronym which means "autonomous sensory meridian response", or "autonomous sensory sensation".
These videos of youtubers mixing sound effects and whispered voices explode on social networks. Isolated for years, this trend has become a fashion phenomenon among the younger generations. "In my college, everyone consumes it," says Arthur, in 6th grade. When the Youtubeuse Roxane ASMR abounds: “More than 70% of my subscribers are between 18 and 25 years old. "
A hobby that helped Martin during confinement. " I am alone. It feels like a presence. Youtubers often play trade roles. Like samples from life before. But don't go talk to a practitioner about relaxation techniques. “Everyone is wrong. It's a sensation that exists on a daily basis: like the noise of pages being turned, sheets… ”, deciphers Paris ASMR, which has observed an increase in the number of visitors to its channel in recent weeks.
Sounds that provide a pleasant feeling mainly at the level of the skull. “The ASMR disconnects you from your thoughts and reconnects you to something trivial. During the quarantine, I adapted my content by focusing on cocooning and getting closer to the microphone, ”says Paris ASMR. But the videos also mobilize the visual. "Like a cotton pad we pass on the camera, foam objects ..."
A reassuring feeling
For his part, his “colleague” Roxane ASMR sees a regressive side. “Like our mom who was reading a book to us. There is a reassuring feeling of well-being, a bit like Madeleine de Proust. "A practice that also induces a certain relationship with objects:" you have to take me for a fool when I hunt, laughs Roxane. I once used an anesthesia mask that gives a nice crunch. "
But this trend, of Anglo-Saxon origin, has struggled to find a place in France. “In 2015, the youtubers hid their faces because they did not assume. It's complicated in our cultures. In everyday life, we don't let strangers whisper in our ears, ”analyzes Paris ASMR. An observation shared by Roxane. “For a long time, it was considered almost supernatural. Youtubers have had their chains closed because of a controversy. Media called it brain orgasm . This is wrong: we feel sensations but from there to speak of orgasm. We are far from it, ”animates the nurse.
Starting in 2017, marketing is a game-changer. “Lenny Kravitz's daughter made an advertisement by doing ASMR. Eva Longoria and other stars followed, ”says Paris ASMR. Better, studies have proven its benefits. “The ASMR uses the pleasure zone of the brain. It induces a secretion of dopamine. This has something in common with the effects of music. But also a mirror neuron aspect: if a girl plays the role of hairdresser, the brain reproduces what it sees, ”explains neurologist Pierre Lemarquis.
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From taboo, ASMR has become “cool”. To the point that young creators are multiplying. “ASMR works mainly on the artistic and the creative. The frontal lobe, a sort of gendarme of the brain, is not yet developed in adolescents. Hence an increased sensitivity, ”explains the neurologist.
For some, ASMR has become a habit. Enora, 16, has been listening to it every evening for 3 years before sleeping. “I also do it between two homework to calm down when I feel stressed because of the video lessons. It's the only thing that works for me. "
If the offer is overwhelming, the staging in the field of care is legion. "It's like taking care of me." I put myself in condition by isolating myself from others. I sometimes feel chills in my stomach, "says Arthur. Enora, she likes the hairstyle theme. Even if deep down, she admits: the mystery remains. “I was amazed that the sound of the brushes relaxed me so much when I didn't feel anything with mine when I combed my hair. "