英语故事｜洗地毯、修驴蹄、切肥皂…这些视频火了，网友：解压！

A hand moves the nozzle back and forth as dirt and grime are methodically washed away. Then, the detailer uses a scrub brush attached to a power drill to attack the dirt stuck in the mat's groves. Recently, videos of carpet washinghave become popular on social media with people looking to relieve stress.

清洁工将一条充满污垢的地毯反复用高压水枪冲洗，加泡沫清洁剂后用螺旋机和毛刷深度清理，一块脏到发黑的地毯干净如新。洗地毯成为目前社交媒体上大热的解压视频。

The magic of these videos may have something to do with sound. This kind of calm, low-volume audio-visual experience can trigger a pleasurable response called an autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR. 

这些解压视频的魔力或许与其音效有关。这样的视听体验会触发一种愉悦感，在医学领域被称作“自发性知觉经络反应”，简称ASMR。

ASMR focuses on eardrum stimulation and amplifies subtle sounds to make the user feel an "intracranial orgasm." But the factors that trigger AMSR are different for different people. Some people report that their ASMR is sparked by soft sounds like whispers or oscillating fans. Others prefer the sounds and sights associated with cleaning, like running faucets or rotating brush bristles. 

ASMR专注于耳膜刺激，放大细微的声音让用户感受“颅内高潮”。但对于不同的人来说，触发AMSR的因子各不相同。一些人报告称柔和的声音会激发自己的ASMR，例如低声耳语或者摆动的风扇，而有的人更偏爱与清洁相关的视听内容，例如水流不停的水龙头，或者旋转的毛刷。

Different people have different feelings about ASMR. Many describe the response as a tingling feeling that begins in their scalp, neck or shoulder. ASMR can help a person relax, and people have reported that it calms them before sleep. 

不同人对于ASMR的感受也不尽相同，许多人描述自己从头皮到颈肩部阵阵酥麻。ASMR可以帮助人们放松下来，也有人表示睡前聆听ASMR能平复情绪。

A 2018 study published in Plos One showed that about 81% of people feel ASMR, and the average age at which they first become aware of this sensation is around 15 years old. Most of them reported using ASMR videos to trigger feelings of pleasure.

2018年发表在《公共科学图书馆·综合》上的一项研究表明，约81%的人能感受到ASMR，他们首次意识到这一能力的平均年龄约为15岁。他们中的大多数人表示，会用ASMR视频来触发愉悦感。

For those who don’t feel ASMR effects, the study found there were still benefits. ASMR content lowered participants' heart rates and they reported feeling more relaxed.

研究发现，那些无法感受到ASMR的人仍能因此受益。ASMR内容会降低其心率，他们也向研究者表示，自己观看后会放松心情。

"So, it's possible that even if you don’t get the ASMR tingling response, you might still get emotional benefits from ASMR content," says Giulia Lara Poerio, the study's lead author and a psychologist at the University of Essex in England.  

研究的主要作者、英格兰埃塞克斯大学心理学家朱莉娅·拉拉·波里奥表示，“即使你无法获得ASMR那种酥麻的感觉，你仍有可能通过 ASMR 内容收获有益的情绪价值。”

People who experienced ASMR had higher scores for neuroticism and openness to experience. They also had lower levels of conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness.  

能够感受到ASMR的人具有几种共同的性格特质：他们对于体验的神经质和开放性程度方面得分更高，而其责任心、外向性和随和性水平则偏低。

The researchers confirmed that people who experienced ASMR had higher levels of neuroticism. The participants also reported higher levels of anxiety, which they felt was soothed by ASMR content. The scientists concluded that ASMR has the potential of becoming a medical treatment.

后续研究也发现，能感受到ASMR的人神经质程度更高，也具有更高的焦虑感，ASMR内容恰好能缓解这种焦虑。科学家由此得出结论，ASMR有潜力作为一种医学治疗手段。

来源：北京青年报扬子晚报红星新闻Discover Magazine

faucet

英[ˈfɔːsɪt]；美[ˈfɔːsɪt]

n.水龙头

tingle

英[ˈtɪŋɡl]；美[ˈtɪŋɡl]

v.使…感到刺痛

scalp

英[skælp]；美[skælp]

n.头皮