Dark, loud, and compact sounds induce frisson

Abstract

Frisson is characterized by tingling and tickling sensations with positive or negative feelings. However, it is still unknown what factors affect the intensity of frisson. We conducted experiments on the stimulus characteristics and individual’s mood states and personality traits. Participants filled out self-reported questionnaires, including the Profile of Mood States, Beck Depression Inventory, and Big Five Inventory. They continuously indicated the subjective intensity of frisson throughout a 17-min experiment while listening to binaural brushing and tapping sounds through headphones. In the interviews after the experiments, participants reported that tingling and tickling sensations mainly originated on their ears, neck, shoulders, and back. Cross-correlation results showed that the intensity of frisson was closely linked to the acoustic features of auditory stimuli, including their amplitude, spectral centroid, and spectral bandwidth. This suggests that proximal sounds with dark and compact timbre trigger frisson. The peak of correlation between frisson and the acoustic feature was observed 2 s after the acoustic feature changed, suggesting that bottom-up auditory inputs modulate skin-related modalities. We also found that participants with anxiety were sensitive to frisson. Our results provide important clues to understanding the mechanisms of auditory–somatosensory interactions.

Untangling the tingle: Investigating the association between the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), neuroticism, and trait & state anxiety

“…The significantly greater neuroticism scores observed in the ASMR-experiencers is consistent with the limited prior studies which have investigated personality traits in ASMR-experiencers (e.g. [ 16 ]—though their group differences were rendered non-significant with multiple comparisons, [ 26 , 28 ]). Neuroticism and trait anxiety are known to be strongly linked since neuroticism describes a predisposition to negative emotional states such as anxiety [ 30 ].…”

“…To date there is only a small body of published literature investigating any link between personality traits and the ability to experience ASMR (e.g. [ 26 – 28 ]). Incorporating the Big Five Index (BFI) Fredborg et al [ 26 ] found that ASMR-experiencers scored significantly higher than non-experiencers on neuroticism and openness-to-experience (also see [ 16 , 29 ]).…”

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“…The significantly greater neuroticism scores observed in the ASMR-experiencers is consistent with the limited prior studies which have investigated personality traits in ASMRexperiencers (e.g. [16]-though their group differences were rendered non-significant with multiple comparisons, [26,28]). Neuroticism and trait anxiety are known to be strongly linked since neuroticism describes a predisposition to negative emotional states such as anxiety [30].…”

The Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System

“…Several researchers have argued that left-hand dominance of the spontaneous tingling sensation indicates right-hemisphere central processes 26,27 . In contrast, the ASMR mainly originates on the scalp and back of the neck, and laterality of body parts does not occur 1,2 . Thus, the ASMR differs from a spontaneous sensation triggered by endogenous attention.…”

“…ASMR seems to differ from music-induced chills, often characterized as a subjective response accompanied by goose bumps and strong emotions. From the psychological perspective, the ASMR can be induced by various types of stimuli and affected by sound localization 1,2 , whereas musical chills strongly depend on sound properties [3][4][5] . ASMR stimuli frequently induce a feeling of relaxation and aid sleep 1,6 , whereas musical chills are associated with a profound emotional experience and shivers 7,8 .…”