![\"Oddly](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/oddly-satisfying-trending.png\")
<\/p>\nIf you\u2019ve ever browsed your Instagram explore feed, you\u2019ve probably watched videos of soap cutting, slime crunching, or frozen paint smashing.<\/p>\n
And maybe, just maybe, you found them to be (oddly) satisfying.<\/p>\n
Why are these videos so popular? They\u2019re part of a trend that has taken over social media. And the internet has noticed.<\/p>\n
In fact, Instagram named Oddly Satisfying the fastest-growing Instagram niche in 2018. And according to Google, slime became the biggest DIY trend in 2017, causing a national shortage of glue in the US.<\/p>\n
On average, at least one video with an #OddlySatisfying hashtag is posted on Instagram every minute, and there\u2019s been a dramatic spike in Google searches for these videos over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n
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So what\u2019s going on?<\/p>\n
This trend didn\u2019t spring out of nowhere; no trend is a coincidence. Social media is a diary of our collective unconscious – The things that billions<\/span> of social media users find appealing reflects our wider sentiments, preferences, and desires.<\/p>\n So, all of this begs the question: Why are Oddly Satisfying videos trending? And, why now?<\/p>\n These videos are everywhere, and scientists and professors are catching on. Several have set out to determine the scientific reason these videos elicit autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a tingling sensation on the skin that causes positive emotions.<\/p>\n According to Professor Robert Colombo, watching Oddly Satisfying videos cause the release of chemicals in the brain that bring about happiness<\/a> and positivity – namely, serotonin and dopamine.<\/p>\n These are the same neurotransmitters that fire when humans eat sugar, have sex, or get a notification on their phones<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n In fact, \u201cthere have been numerous reports that watching oddly satisfying videos help make people feel relaxed and calm,\u201d according to Sabrina Faramarzi<\/a> at Wired.<\/span><\/p>\n A study conducted at Swansea University that surveyed ASMR enthusiasts concluded that a vast majority of them reported watching ASMR videos to relax, destress<\/a><\/span>, and get a better night\u2019s sleep<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n But why do these videos make us feel relaxed? Dr. Anita Deak of the University of Pecs attributes this to the \u2018mirror neuron theory,\u2019 which holds that watching someone perform an action elicits the same neurological response as performing that action ourselves.<\/p>\n So, in essence, we get pleasure from Oddly Satisfying videos as if we were actually cutting soap or crunching slime ourselves. They serve as a form of microtherapy that satisfies and relaxes our brain and body.<\/p>\n In fact, several viewers reported that these videos causing a tingling feeling on their scalp (which some describe as a \u2018pleasurable headache\u2019) that slowly moves down their neck and spine. These videos are basically a shortcut to a blissed-out, meditative state.<\/p>\n But just as with other types of satisfaction, not every person has the same neurological and biological response to Oddly Satisfying videos. In the same survey conducted at Swansea University, researchers found that around half of those surveyed experienced ASMR while watching these videos, while the other half don\u2019t.<\/p>\n Test out if you experience ASMR – here’s an oddly satisfying video to watch for yourself:<\/p>\nThe psychology behind Oddly Satisfying videos<\/h3>\n
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