ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, is a phenomenon that quickly caught fire on social media. The audio-visuals of the trend reportedly cause people to experience a "tingling, static-like sensation on the skin."
Owen Dennis Riley created "Dennis A.S.M.R." on YouTube as a growing trend of videos known as "ASMR Boyfriend Roleplay," where young men play romantic partners.
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"A lot of people find it difficult to go to sleep sometimes and so my videos kind of work as a sound machine for the people who struggle with sleeping," Owen said.
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But psychologists say there is no data to suggest that what he is doing is effective in any way.
"He does hit on all the whispering, he does integrate brushes and other sounds throughout his videos, but he also has a lot of distracting content that would potentially counterbalance," clinical psychologist Dr. Caroline Fleck said. "Again, what we're going for with the ASMR, which is to soothe the senses, calm you down, not be excitatory, not be stimulating in any way."
The teen, who looks like the perfect boyfriend and says all the right things, already has over half a million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
"My videos aren't saying that every relationship is perfect and I'm not trying to be unrealistic with it, I'm just trying to take the positive elements from that," Owen said.