ASMR: The Whispered Revolution of Relaxation | Craig Richard | TEDxCharlottesville

Dr. Craig Richard, university professor and researcher, explains the curious phenomenon of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). He highlights the rising popularity of ASMR videos, why these videos are so calming, and how these videos are helping millions of individuals around the world to relax, reduce their stress, and fall asleep more easily. His journey to understand ASMR includes being co-author of the first ASMR brain scan study, coordinator of the largest ASMR database, author of the book ‘Brain Tingles’, founder of the website ‘’, host of the ASMR podcast ‘Sleep Whispers’, and consultant for the first ASMR Super Bowl commercial. His research and interest in ASMR have been featured by ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, Al Jazeera, NPR, Associated Press, NY Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Scientific American, Women’s Health, Rolling Stone, and The Today Show. Dr. Richard is currently a professor of biopharmaceutical sciences at the Bernard J Dunn School of Pharmacy at Shenandoah University in Virginia. Full bio: This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at