Popularity of ASMR contents rise in Korea

조용한 ASMR 콘텐츠 뜬다 Be it soothing music or relaxing scent to help get some shut eyes at night, things to help cope with stress have become quite essential over the years. And now a different method using unique sources... is garnering greater attention here in Korea. Kim Mok-yeon introduces to us this new listening trend. It could be the sound of whispering, maybe a pencil scratching -- the sound of knocking, or of falling water. "Lately, all of these sounds have become the favorite lullaby for a lot of people around the world. They bring out the so-called ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response." The term itself might not be well known, but many people have at one time or another felt calmer after hearing familiar sounds. The basic principle goes back to infancy, when babies tend to feel at ease and fall asleep when they hear their parents singing lullabies or reading them books before bedtime. Industry experts say the repetitive occurrence of sounds that we are used to tend to calm the human mind and lead to pleasurable sensations, as millions of people have discovered through social media. There are all kinds of ASMR content online -- ranging from the sound of ear-cleaning to objects being tapped. "I just started creating ASMR content a few months ago, but nearly 200-thousand people have already subscribed to my channel. I even received messages which said that my videos cured their insomnia." Experts attribute the emergence of the trend to the increase in anxiety and stress in this highly competitive society. "Our brains tend to get stressed because we use enormous amounts of energy when we have to decide on something. So if we listen to these sounds, it distracts us from concentrating on the problems, giving our brains some time to rest." Though there are signs the trend will continue, medical experts warn that too much reliance on ASMR content could make it harder to fall asleep naturally, and could also lead to hearing problems. Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News. Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS): http://www.facebook.com/newsarirang Homepage: http://www.arirang.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arirangtv Twitter: http://twitter.com/arirangworld Instagram: http://instagram.com/arirangworld

Category