Do whispering minds tingle alike? Exploring the relationship between ASMR-sensitivity, trait-ASMR, and trigger...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Sensory Perception

Background:

• Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is characterized by pleasant tingling sensations triggered by specific stimuli.
• Variability exists in ASMR triggers and individual experiences, leading to self-classification as ASMR-responders.
• Recent research suggests ASMR may be better understood as a personality construct on a spectrum.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate trait-ASMR characteristics in a large sample of ASMR viewers.
• Explore differences in trigger intensity based on trait-ASMR and ASMR-sensitivity.
• Categorize ASMR triggers and analyze group differences in trigger preferences.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 16,679 ASMR viewers, classifying them by 'authentic' or 'non-authentic' ASMR experiences.
• Utilized the ASMR-15 psychometric tool to assess trait-ASMR.
• Employed K-means cluster analysis for trait categorization and principal component analysis for trigger categorization.

Main Results:

• K-means clustering identified three trait-ASMR groups (High/Medium/Low) with distinct ASMR-15 profiles (medium effect sizes).
• Authentic vs. non-authentic ASMR experience showed a small effect size.
• Principal component analysis revealed four trigger categories: Roleplay, Watching, Interpersonal care, and Tactile.
• Trait-ASMR grouping explained small to medium effects in trigger categorization, while ASMR-sensitivity showed small to negligible effects.

Conclusions:

• Individual differences in ASMR experiences are best conceptualized as a spectrum trait.
• Trait classification, rather than dichotomous sensitivity, accounts for variations in ASMR propensity and trigger preferences.
• ASMR should be viewed as a personality construct with varying degrees of expression across individuals.