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2025/02/03
14:42 UTC

[Music] Frisson-related effect from song intros (Discussion)

Hello! I experience a strong psychological effect which I believe is related to ASMR and Frisson. I want to know if there's at least 1 other person who can experience it.

The effect itself is not ASMR or Frisson though. So this post is somewhat offtopic. It's just that I want to get attention of people who are especially sensitive to sounds. And there aren't many communities of such people.

To explain what I experience, I first need to start with my pet theory about ASMR.

My theory

I have a personal theory about ASMR:

Sometimes, ASMR is caused when

Two sounds which are easy to "play in your head" combine in a way which is hard to "play in your head". I.e. two simple sounds combine in a complicated way.
A sound which is easy to "play in your head" is modified in a simple way, and the result is hard to "play in your head". I.e. a simple sound is modified in a simple way, creating a complicated sound.

Individually simple things combining into something complicated, basically.

Let's check out some examples.

wooden spheres 20:34

The sound of two wooden spheres rubbing each other is simple, but it's hard to "hear in your head" (without listening) how the sound changes in 3D space, even though the change is simple too.

wooden brush & fingers 7:05

The sound of a finger sliding on a brush is simple, but the sum of many such sounds (in different places) is complicated.

wooden bowl 1:14:09

The sound of scratching is simple, "vibrating" sound is simple, but they combine into something complicated.

hands, disable sound

This is not audio ASMR (if you disable sound), but the principle is the same. We have three things going on:

Individual hand movements.
The way hands obscure background objects.
The way hands go off screen.

Those things are individually simple, but combine into something fairly complicated. Imagining (with your mind's eye) all of the above happening simultaneously is quite hard. And of course there's added psychological effect of "it's strange to see hands so close to my face, they might touch my face".

A new effect?

My theory is not very falsifiable or interesting. So here's where the truly interesting part starts.

We can find complex combinations/modifications of simple sounds which don't sound like ASMR.

And I think they, too, should be able to create a strong and distinct psychological effect! Not ASMR, but a new effect.

I want to find at least a couple of people... hell, at least one person who can experience it. Take a listen to the examples below and try to think how they decompose into simple elements. Also, say if you experienced ASMR from the above examples.

Examples of the new effect

Piknik - Be Forever, first 29 seconds

It has two main elements:

A simple pattern of ~3 notes ("DuDum... Tum..."). It's repeated at different pitches. Something known as Sequence. Don't worry, you don't need to understand music theory to understand this.
A simple audio effect, something like flanging. Creates this "wowowowowow" sound.

Each individual element is simple, but the combination is quite complicated. I can imagine each individual element "playing in my head", but imagining their combination is much harder. Also, note how this musical segment is pretty similar to a common technique of triggering ASMR (simple, slightly varying sounds with pauses and rich texture).

Dr. Dre - The Next Episode, first 6 seconds

It has three main elements:

A heart-like beat.
Violins.
The background sound texture.

Each individual element is simple, but the combination is complicated.

The Avalanches - Electricity (Dr. Rockit's Dirty Kiss), first 28 seconds

It has two main elements:

Some note patterns, fairly simple. Though the notes don't repeat exactly?
The overall quality of sound, somewhat weird.

Each individual element is simple, but their combination is complicated.

Aquarium - Rock'n'Roll Is Dead, first 21 seconds

It has two main elements: multiple guitars (playing something repetitive, but varied); the overall rough quality of sound. Each individual element is simple, but the sum is complex. Also, note how this musical segment is pretty similar to a common technique of triggering ASMR (simple, slightly varying sounds with pauses and rich texture).

Here's more. Try to focus on how simple elements combine into something complicated:

Piknik - Doubt Instrumental, first 24 seconds. Repetitive, but varied piano sounds. A subtle audio effect and the sound of wind.
Tiger Hifi - King Of My Castle, 0:28 - 0:48. Multiple instruments and a subtle audio effect. Repetitive. Similar to the common ASMR technique.
Playstation 1 Jinx - Title Screen, first 14 seconds
Bôa - Duvet ScummV Remix, up to 2:01. Similar to the common ASMR technique. >!Though this audio segment is kinda "too slow" to trigger the effect in the same way.!<
Clearlight - Sweet Absinthe. Very repetitive sounds are overlaid in a complicated way. >!Though this audio segment is kinda too chaotic to trigger the effect in the same way.!<

Comparing to ASMR (pure speculation)

Here I want to describe how I experience the new effect, how it's different from ASMR.

ASMR feels like a "bodily" effect (sending tingles in different parts of the body). In contrast, the new effect feels like a "mental" effect (creating an intense mental experience). It feels like having an intense flashback or vision about some important scene.

Like, imagine if you got plucked from where you are right to the bright side of the Moon, seeing the Earth from up there (without experiencing any pain or damage). You just look around and you're completely awestruck at the unexpected and beautiful nature of the experience.

Why is the new effect so different from ASMR? I think because ASMR sounds are comparatively meaningless, while the effect sounds are much more melodic and structured. So they scratch a part of the brain responsible for "meaningful" experiences.

So I believe the mechanism of triggering the effect is similar to ASMR, but the effect itself is nothing like ASMR.