Are people who experience ASMR different in personality?
People who experience ASMR score higher on openness and neuroticism, but lower on extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness compared to those who do not.
Source
An Examination of Personality Traits Associated with Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)
What they did
The researchers compared the personality profiles of 284 adults who experience ASMR with 279 control participants matched for age and gender. All participants completed the 44-item Big Five Inventory to measure key personality traits. The ASMR participants also completed a specialized checklist evaluating 14 different sensory triggers that elicit their tingling sensations.
What they found
Compared to the control group, individuals with ASMR scored significantly higher on Openness-to-Experience and Neuroticism, but lower on Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness. Within the ASMR group, those who reported more intense tingling sensations also scored higher on Openness-to-Experience and Neuroticism. Additionally, a statistical analysis grouped the triggers into five distinct categories rather than a uniform experience.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Because this study is cross-sectional and correlational, it cannot prove whether specific personality traits cause someone to experience ASMR, or if ASMR experiences shape personality. The sample of ASMR participants was recruited online from a dedicated Reddit forum, which may introduce selection bias towards heavy internet users who are already more open to sharing unusual experiences. Additionally, the brief personality inventory used does not capture finer, more detailed facets of personality that might better explain these differences.
Key terms
- Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)
- A sensory-emotional phenomenon characterized by relaxing, pleasurable tingling sensations typically starting in the head and neck in response to specific triggers.
- Frisson
- A brief, tingling sensation resembling chills that occurs as a pleasurable emotional response to stimuli like music.
- Synesthesia
- A perceptual condition where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in an unrelated sensory or cognitive pathway.
- Big Five Inventory (BFI)
- A standard psychological assessment tool used to measure five major dimensions of human personality.
- Neuroticism
- A personality domain characterizing emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, and sensitivity to negative emotions.
- Openness-to-Experience
- A personality trait reflecting imagination, curiosity, cognitive flexibility, and a strong appreciation for art and sensory experiences.
Flashcards
Want these cards to stick?
Save the deck to NoteFren and study it with spaced repetition.
Quiz yourself
Who coined the term Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) and when?
Common questions
How does ASMR differ from frisson (music chills)?
While both involve pleasant tingling sensations, ASMR tingles are typically long-lasting, dynamic, and associated with deep relaxation and calmness, whereas frisson tingles occur rapidly, are short-lived, and are often triggered by exciting, emotionally intense events.
What are some of the most common ASMR triggers identified in this study?
Triggers involving repetitive sounds, close personal attention, and slow movements (such as whispering, physical touch simulations, and watching someone draw or paint nails) were rated as the most intense and common.
Does having ASMR mean a person has a specific personality type?
No, but the study shows that people with ASMR tend to have different average scores on standard personality traits compared to those who do not experience it, specifically showing higher openness and neuroticism but lower extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness.
Are there different types of ASMR?
The study's factor analysis suggests that ASMR triggers group into several distinct sensory categories (watching, touching, repetitive sounds, physical simulations, and mouth sounds), hinting that people might experience unique subtypes of ASMR depending on their sensitivity to these categories.
More on Personality