As a curious researcher I am always on the look out for interesting papers to read! I think I found one!
Are there such a thing as brain tingling and even orgasms? Interestingly, recent research suggest that, indeed, there are!
In scientific circles this is often called Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). It is characterized by the feelings of warm tingles and sensations starting from the crown of the head and spreading down the body. These brain tingles or brain orgasms are triggered by specific sights and sounds and produce a calm and relaxed feeling in the body.
Did you know there are more than 13 million ASMR videos on YouTube? Here is one of them....
What is interesting is that whispering and gently tapping is what babies respond to and they listen intently. May it be producing the feeling of calm and relaxed. Indeed, if someone is in dire straits and you stroke and whisper to them it begins to gently calm them down. This you can do with animals also.
Research suggests that heart rates are significantly reduced after experiencing ASMR. There was an average decrease of 3.14 beats per minute. Additionally, decreased levels of stress and sadness were experienced by participants. The study did not include infants, rather it focused on adults. I would be interested to find out what these sort of triggers do for the infant state of being.
What is even more interesting is the new technique called Havening - it is a psychosensory therapy that uses stroking to help with trauma. Perhaps there is more to this than we understand. Are we tapping into a part of ourselves that hold old traumas in the deep recesses of our DNA and this nurturing sound and feeling supports release and healing? All questions that we do not have current answers for but are interesting nonetheless.
If you have experienced this and have found it helpful - write your experiences in the comments!
References:
Giulia Lara Poerio, Emma Blakey, Thomas J. Hostler, Theresa Veltri. More than a feeling: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by reliable changes in affect and physiology. PLOS ONE, 2018; 13 (6): e0196645 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196645