Aspie quiz question

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I just took the Aspie quiz and one of the questions took me off gaurd. It asked "do you get tingly sensations on your head/scalp/neck area when you hear something pleasent?" or something to that effect. I do, but the question seemed odd to me, because it was something I thought everyone experiences.

Is this an Aspie thing or more NT?

I think this is commonly referred to as ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response. It has been seen to occur more frequently in people with certain forms of synesthesia, which seems to occur more often in autistic people. I don't think everyone can experience ASMR- I know I don't. That being said, it is a sensory response, so it certainly seems possible that autistic people get this more compared to their NT counterparts, therefore it is considered an Aspie trait on the Aspie quiz.

I had no idea anyone else experienced this or that it had a name! There is a lady in Russia who produces YouTube videos that trigger ASMR - her channel is "Gentle Whispering ASMR" with over a million subscribers. Some videos send feelings of static electricity and goosebumps down my scalp, neck and back. Others are deeply relaxing and hypnotic. I'm autistic and have sensory processing disorder and some synesthesias. An example is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1ucBSGR2Do

Thanks for that post. I have mild auditory-tactile and visual-tactile synesthesia (the tactile response has a bit of proprioception and interoception mixed in too). I never knew that this specific response was so widespread and had a name. I get it most if I'm alone and relaxed out in nature - listening to the wind in trees or watching the ripples in water are the first things that come to mind (it makes me a bit wobbly if I'm stood up though!)

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@EyeDash
Thanks for pointing out the videos. Excuse me if I don't post for a couple of days, I feel an armchair science experiment coming on!

It makes sense considering many Aspies have issues with sensory overload.



Just watched one and I think I have a new addiction.

There's an interesting article "A whisper, then tingles, then 87 million YouTube views: Meet the star of ASMR" about the popularity of Maria's work. There is some good description of the sensation: “It’s like showers of sparkles,” says Maria, speaking as herself. “It’s like warm sand being poured all over you, trickling over your head and down into your shoulders. It’s like goosebumps on your brain.” Also: "ASMR is described as a pleasurable tingling that begins in the head and scalp, shimmies down the spine and relaxes the entire body." I imagine this is what my cats must be feeling when I pet them gently and they zone totally out. At least in my own case, I can tell that my reaction to the videos has a lot to do with my autism.

The URL is a bit long, but here it is:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... 658865502d