Craig Richard: Whispers and haircuts — the science of ASMR

Part 1 of the TED Radio Hour episode Work, Play, Rest - Part 3.

Why do so many people experience brain tingles when watching ASMR videos? Physiologist Craig Richard shares the science behind the "Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response," and how it calms the mind.

About Craig Richard

Craig Richard is a physiologist, ASMR researcher, and professor at Shenandoah University. After failing to discover academic research on the subject of ASMR, he began conducting research himself.

Now, Richard is the coordinator of the largest ASMR survey, with over 30,000 participants. He also started the online research archive ASMR University, and has published a book on ASMR best practices and guides called Brain Tingles.

Richard studied zoology at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, and holds a Ph.D. in Physiology and Cell Biology from Albany Medical College.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Katie Monteleone and edited by James Delahoussaye and Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadio@npr.org. [Copyright 2022 NPR]