SIGNATURE WORK
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2023

In today’s Chinese society, a large portion of young adults experiences high levels of anxiety due to the post-pandemic era and the influence of “involution”. Therefore, it is essential to find a simple and easily accessible method of alleviating anxiety. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) refers to a perceptual phenomenon in which the body perceives stimuli and triggers sensory experiences in the head or other body parts, with auditory triggers being the most common. Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of ASMR in alleviating depression and pain, and this experiment will investigate the role of ASMR audio in alleviating human anxiety. The experiment was conducted at Duke Kunshan University and involved 77 participants aged 18-26. They received different types of ASMR auditory stimuli and were evaluated through a series of physiological tests, including blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance, and an anxiety state survey. The experiment results show that auditory ASMR can help young people reduce their anxiety, both physically and psychologically. Secondly, a negative correlation exists between subjective emotional preferences for ASMR audio and anxiety levels. Therefore, participants subjectively reported that ASMR audio that brought them pleasure more effectively alleviated anxiety. ASMR audio has high practical value and can help people alleviate their anxiety.