New Delhi, June 7 -- I have been watching ASMR videos and even attempted to make a few of my own since 2015. It has become my night-time routine to fall asleep listening to a content creator softly speaking of different teas, soaps or even Turkish desserts. I stumbled upon the acronym ASMR, short for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, in a newspaper article a few years ago. The piece highlighted sounds deliberately made by people with the aim to induce a sense of calm. I didn't know then that there was a word for it, assuming the feeling was unique to me. In fact, the term officially entered the Oxford Dictionary in 2020.

There is a specific set of YouTubers, known as ASMRtists, who create content to elicit a wave of relaxation. The n...