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Science Says: Can a Super Bowl ad give you brain tingles?
by Carla K. Johnson
This image from video provided by Michelob shows a frame from their 2019 Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra Pure Gold. The ad features the actress Zoe Kravitz using techniques for autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR. It is described as a tingly euphoric response, usually starting on the head and scalp, and sometimes spreading down the neck, arms or back. (Michelob ULTRA via AP)
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This image from video provided by Michelob shows a frame from their 2019 Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra Pure Gold. The ad features the actress Zoe Kravitz using techniques for autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR. It is described as a tingly euphoric response, usually starting on the head and scalp, and sometimes spreading down the neck, arms or back. (Michelob ULTRA via AP)
A new Super Bowl commercial will expose a vast audience to an internet craze known as ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response.
The ad features oddly relaxing images of actress Zoe Kravitz whispering into a pair of microphones and softly tapping on a bottle.
Some people spend hours watching videos of hair brushing or paper crinkling because they say it makes their brains tingle. A few scientists are trying to study ASMR. About a dozen research studies have been published, and there is evidence that there might be something to it.
But so far, there's not enough to recommend it as a stand-alone treatment for depression, anxiety, insomnia—or any other medical problem—despite the claims of its many fans.