ASMR triggers: tapping, brushing, mouth sounds and the rest

What a trigger is

A trigger is simply a sound or an action that reliably gives you the feeling. Some people have one; some have a dozen; some have none and still enjoy the quiet. Triggers are specific in a way that surprises newcomers. Tapping on wood can work while tapping on glass does nothing, and the difference is not something you can reason your way to. You find out by listening.

The sound ones

Tapping is the most common: fingernails on a hard surface, slow and even. Scratching is its rougher cousin, usually on fabric, cardboard or a textured lid. Brushing covers anything soft moved across a microphone, from a makeup brush to a hairbrush, and is often the first trigger that works for someone who finds tapping too sharp.

Then there are the small mechanical sounds: lids unscrewing, pages turning, liquid poured from one glass to another, crinkling paper or plastic. These tend to be gentler and easier to fall asleep to than tapping, which has a beat to it.

The close ones

Mouth sounds sit at one extreme. Soft, wet, very close to the microphone, and genuinely divisive: for some listeners they are the strongest trigger there is, and for others they are unbearable. If you are not sure, find out at a low volume with your finger near the skip button. Inaudible whispering, where the breath carries the shape of words but not the words themselves, sits nearby and is much gentler.

Ear-to-ear anything is the other close category. The creator moves from one microphone to the other so the sound crosses from your left ear to your right. It is the most headphone-dependent trigger of the lot, and the most striking the first time you hear it done well.

The ones with no sound at all

Not every trigger is audible. Slow hand movements in front of the camera, careful attention paid to something small, and unhurried personal attention all work for some people with the sound turned down. If listening has not done much for you, these are worth a try before you decide ASMR is not yours.

Working out which are yours

Trigger assortment videos are made for this. One video moves through ten or fifteen different sounds a few minutes apiece, and you note which ones make you sit up. Once you have two or three, searching for those by name gets you much further than browsing at random.

Browse the triggers and tingles category for assortments and single-trigger videos alike.