(WDTN) — Brynne Harder, a YouTuber known as Beez ASMR, has made it her mission to help others relax, one video at a time.
The 23-year-old Michigan native is a recent Eastern Michigan University graduate who has found a passion in creating ASMR content for her YouTube channel.
“ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, which is basically a tingling sensation that people can get from something they see or hear,” Brynne explains. “Not everyone experiences the tingles, but if not, it can just be categorized as a relaxing sensation that helps with stress, anxiety relief, and things like that.”
Many people experience ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, a relaxing sensation triggered by gentle noises in videos.
Brynne says she first discovered ASMR as a college student working to balance a busy schedule of academics and athletics.
“Between my classes or practices I was always trying to take a nap but couldn’t always fall asleep. My sister watched ASMR and kind of put me on to it that way. Once I started watching, I never went back. I watch it now, still, as I create it,” Brynne says.
“I started doing ASMR kind of as a hobby. Basically, I just started watching one girl, and I was like following her channel, and she was blowing up. I was like, I could do that. Like, why not? So that’s how I ended up starting.”
And she did just that. In just two years, Brynne’s follower count has skyrocketed to 85,000 since her first video in February 2020. Meanwhile, her most popular video has garnered over 400,000 views.
Brynne says that there are benefits to watching ASMR, especially for people who deal with severe stress or anxiety.
“People with severe stress and anxiety, or anyone that experiences stress or anxiety, will experience the effects of ASMR on a deeper level than people that don’t,” she says.
A reported 80% of people who experience ASMR noted that it had a positive effect on their mood, with benefits lasting for several hours after using ASMR media, according to the National Library of Medicine. These findings also show that ASMR can be used in treating mental health conditions.
“I know that ASMR is part of, or associated with parts of the brain, or stimulates parts of the brain that have to do with where your dopamine comes from. Because ASMR is — how I’m doing right now, talking to a camera — you get a social benefit. It’s like you’re talking with someone, like you’re getting the attention that I’m giving to the camera,” Brynne says.
Brynne has her filming setup in her bedroom, which she says adds to the relaxation and comfort of her videos.
“It really helps comfort people, it helps people get better sleep, relaxation. It can just calm people down and give them a personal interaction that they may not get otherwise,” she says.
“I would say that the biggest benefits are helping with stress and anxiety, like a calming method, I guess, for some people. And then, a bonus is just like the sleepy vibes and relaxation.”