Mindfulness and autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)

Background Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a perceptual phenomenon in which specific audiovisual stimuli frequently elicit tingling sensations on the scalp and neck. These stimuli (“ASMR triggers”) are typically social in nature (e.g., watching someone brush their hair, hearing whispering,) and often elicit a calm and positive emotional state that may last up to several minutes. ASMR experiences phenomenologically overlap with mindfulness; however, no research has directly examined how mindfulness might relate to ASMR. Methods In the current study, 284 individuals with ASMR completed the Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS), the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), and a questionnaire examining ASMR experiences. Age- and sex-matched control participants were asked to view two ASMR-eliciting videos to ensure that they did not experience tingling sensations associated with ASMR; they then completed the TMS and MAAS questionnaires. Results When compared with matched controls, individuals with ASMR generated significantly higher scores on the MAAS, a global measure of mindfulness, as well as significantly higher scores on the Curiosity subscale of the TMS. Conclusions These results suggest that the sensory-emotional experiences associated with ASMR may be partially explained by a distinct subset of characteristics associated with mindfulness.

87 which examines ASMR triggers and the phenomenology of ASMR experiences. We predicted 88 that individuals with ASMR would report higher levels of mindfulness, as measured by both the 89 TMS and the MAAS. We also predicted that individuals with ASMR who reported higher 90 intensity tingles in response to common triggering stimuli would score higher on both the TMS 91 and MAAS than individuals who reported lower intensity tingles. Together, these data would 92 provide novel insight into the phenomenology of ASMR, while also showing how this atypical 93 conscious state is related to mindful states and traits.

Methods and Materials
95 Participants 96 The current study is the second part of a two-part study that examined personality traits 97 that co-occur with ASMR (Fredborg et al., 2017). Two-hundred eighty-four participants who 98 self-reported as experiencing ASMR (n = 135 males, M age = 28.07, SD = 9.58) and 279 99 participants who did not indicate ever experiencing ASMR (n = 123 males, M age = 29.19, SD = 100 10.55) took part in this study. Given the exploratory nature of this study, an a priori power 101 analysis to determine the ideal sample size for a given effect size would have been based on 102 speculation and was thus not conducted. 103 110 experiences when completing a self-created ASMR checklist (Fredborg et al., 2017; as 111 elaborated below). These questions included a list of 14 popular ASMR-triggering stimuli that 112 participants rated both on the intensity of tingling sensations experienced, as well as how many 113 seconds after stimulus onset that they would typically experience tingles. Only participants who 114 completed the entirety of the ASMR checklist were included in the ASMR group during the 115 analyses.

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Age-and sex-matched control participants were recruited by the participant recruitment 117 team at Qualtrics Panels (Qualtrics, Inc., Provo, UT) which is an internet-based participant 118 recruitment company. Using this recruitment method allowed us to mitigate sampling bias by 119 increasing the likelihood that both ASMR and control participants were regular internet users. 120 All control participants provided informed consent prior to study completion. To ensure that they 121 did not experience ASMR, control participants viewed two popular ASMR-eliciting videos and 122 were asked whether the videos triggered tingling sensations. If an individual indicated that they 123 had experienced ASMR either during the videos or in the past, he or she was guided to an exit   (Fredborg et al., 2017). 136 The present report focuses on the TMS and the MAAS, and their relationship to data from the 137 ASMR Checklist.

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The TMS consists of 13 self-report items that assess experiences of mindfulness 139 immediately preceding a meditation session (Lau et al., 2006). Individuals respond to each item 140 using a 5-point Likert-type scale from 0 ("not at all") to 4 ("very much"). The 13 items on the 141 TMS load onto two subscales. Six items comprise the Curiosity subscale of the TMS, which is a  The MAAS consists of 15 self-report items that load onto a single trait mindfulness factor 156 "almost always" to "almost never." Examples of items, which are all reverse-coded, include, "I 157 could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until sometime later," and "I rush 158 through activities without being really attentive to them." Studies have reported that the MAAS 159 has strong psychometric properties; in its validation sample, the authors reported good internal  The ASMR Checklist (Fredborg et al., 2017) consists of questions regarding the ASMR 165 participants' experiences including the intensity of respondents' responses to 16 triggers that 166 often elicit ASMR as well as the speed of onset of these tingling sensations. After initial analyses 167 (as described in Fredborg et al., 2017), two of these 16 items were removed because only a very 168 small proportion of the sample reported familiarity with these items. These stimuli items were 169 "watching others sweep" and "watching others refill fountain pens". As such, 14 popular ASMR-170 inducing stimuli were analyzed. Individuals were asked to rate each stimulus on a 7-point 171 Likert scale from 0 to 6 (from "no tingles" to the "most intense ASMR experience."), or were 172 provided the option to choose "unknown" if they were unsure if a stimulus elicited tingles.
173 Additional questions examined the length of time it would take for an individual to experience 174 the tingling sensation after the onset of each of the 14 stimuli, the frequency with which 175 respondents view videos that will elicit ASMR, whether they find ASMR experiences to be 176 pleasurable, and whether they use ASMR videos to relax.
After completing an initial informed consent procedure on the Qualtrics survey, 181 individuals who self-identified as having ASMR were asked to complete five questionnaires 182 (TMS, MAAS, BFI, ASMR Checklist, and a self-created Embodied Emotion Scale) presented in 183 an order that was randomized for each individual. Individuals could save their progress on the 184 questionnaires and return later (within a two-week period) to complete the study should they 185 need to take a break. After completing the five questionnaires, participants completed a set of 186 standard demographic questions. Upon study completion, participants were thanked for their 187 contribution to ASMR research, and were given the option to provide comments on the study. Manuscript to be reviewed 201 similarly thanked for their contribution to ASMR research, and were given the option to provide 202 comments on the study.

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The ASMR and Control groups were first compared on the TMS and the MAAS. These  Table 1 for descriptive statistics). Reliability 211 analyses for each subscale were run within the ASMR and control groups, respectively.  Table 1 Here   TMS-C 1 5 * = significant at p < 0.05; ** = significant at p < 0.01. 6 b N = 284 ASMR participants with scores for all MAAS items and TMS -C items. 7 For all other correlations, N = 173 ASMR participants with scores for all checklist items, MAAS 8 items, and TMS -C items.