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Updated: Jul 15, 2025
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Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome
Published on: July 31, 2016
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From the Outside in: ASMR Is Characterised by Reduced Interoceptive Accuracy but Higher Sensation Seeking
Giulia L Poerio1, Fatimah Osman2, Jennifer Todd2,3
1School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RH, UK.
Multisensory Research
|September 27, 2023
Summary
People who experience Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) show lower interoceptive accuracy but higher sensation-seeking tendencies. These traits may compensate for sensory processing differences, offering insights into complex emotional experiences.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Sensory Science
Background:
- Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a sensory-perceptual phenomenon involving scalp-tingling sensations.
- ASMR is nonuniversal, with a 20% prevalence, and may stem from atypical multisensory perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in interoceptive accuracy and multisensory processing between ASMR responders and nonresponders.
- To explore potential mechanisms underlying the ASMR trait.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of interoceptive accuracy in ASMR responders versus nonresponders.
- Assessment of multisensory processing styles, focusing on sensation-seeking tendencies across different modalities.
Main Results:
- ASMR responders exhibited lower interoceptive accuracy compared to nonresponders.
- ASMR responders showed a heightened tendency for sensation seeking, particularly in tactile, olfactory, and gustatory senses.
Conclusions:
- Sensation-seeking behaviors in ASMR may be a compensatory mechanism for reduced interoceptive accuracy or altered weighting of exteroceptive signals.
- Findings provide a basis for understanding interoceptive and exteroceptive roles in ASMR and general emotional experiences.
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