Uncovered: Which Uk Accent Is The Most Popular For Asmr?

ASMR – or autonomous sensory meridian response - has grown in popularity, with searches for the term increasing by 22% after the UK’s first lockdown, suggesting more people are looking for methods to relax due to the pandemic. Growing in popularity, there are now an estimated 13 million ASMR videos on YouTube today. 

Scrunching up paper, putting on makeup and other ambient sounds are huge triggers that send people into a state of bliss, but a large portion involve talking or whispering. With so many different dialects in the UK, have you ever wondered which UK accent is the most popular for ASMR? 

With that in mind, MattressNextDay have calculated the views on ASMR videos featuring UK accents to determine which accent is the most soothing. 

What is ASMR? 

Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR for short, essentially refers to a reaction that people have for specific triggers. ASMR videos usually involve people whispering, tapping, crunching or making slow, small movements that cause those listening and watching to experience a tingling reaction. 

This tingling sensation can leave those watching feeling calm and relaxed, with the likes of celebrities - including Cardi B - stating they watch these videos to help them fall asleep. 

The UK’s top 5 accents for ASMR 

MattressNextDay can reveal the top accents people are searching for when it comes to ASMR, and it’s the Scottish accent that comes out on top. 

Scottish accent crowned the most soothing for ASMR 

The Scottish accent has been deemed the most soothing, according to the new study. MattressNextDay discovered that there were more than 10 million views on YouTube videos for Scottish ASMR, suggesting that people are attempting to relax to the Scots.  

The Scottish accent has previously been deemed one of the most trustworthy accents, described as ‘friendly’. This accent is famous for its rolling r’s, which could be behind the high searches and that so many of us are falling asleep to the Scottish accent.  

The Irish accent takes second place for most popular accent in ASMR 

The Irish accent takes second spot when it comes to the most pleasing. There were over 5 million views on videos labelled ‘Irish accent ASMR’.

Again, the Irish accent has been described as ‘soothing’ in the past and has just recently been voted the ‘most attractive’, which could be the reason so many are searching for Irish ASMR videos. 

The Welsh accent also had a surprising number of searches, with over 500,000 views on ‘Welsh accent ASMR’ YouTube videos. Surprisingly, the Scottish, Irish and Welsh accents are considered more soothing than the English accent, according to the results of MattressNextDay’s study. 

ASMR enthusiasts are more interested in Essex accents than Yorkshire accents

Made even more famous by Jon Snow and The North, the Yorkshire accent has long been lauded as one of the most popular UK accents, but there are more people looking to relax to the sound of the Essex accent. 

MattressNexDay discovered there were around 450,000 views on YouTube videos when searching for ‘Essex ASMR’, 100,000 more than there were for ‘Yorkshire accent ASMR’. Commonly associated with TOWIE, the Essex accent has recently been parodied but it could be that the Essex accent is more relaxing than some previously thought. 

The UK’s least popular accents for ASMR 

MattressNextDay also discovered the least popular accents for ASMR based on total YouTube video views, and it’s bad news for the Scouse accent...

The Scouse accent is deemed the least soothing for ASMR 

The Liverpool or ‘Scouse’ accent might be one of the most distinctive in the UK, but it is also the one with the least number of views of all the accents analysed. The study found that there were only 19,000 views for ‘Scouse ASMR’ YouTube videos, 10 million less than views for ‘Scottish ASMR’, suggesting less people find the accent relaxing. 

What’s more surprising is that the Geordie accent - also voted the UK’s most popular regional accent in another study - boasts the second-lowest number of YouTube views. The MattressNextDay study found that there were only 63,000 views for ‘Geordie ASMR’, suggesting it might not be one of the most relaxing accents after all. 

Why does ASMR help you sleep? 

Martin Seeley, CEO of MattressNextDay said: “For those struggling to sleep, autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) could be the answer. As ASMR causes a pleasurable feeling when watching or listening, this tingling sensation causes a person to feel relaxed. This, therefore, leaves you in a state of relaxation that enables you to fall asleep easier than those without. 

“To help those who are hoping to try ASMR for the first time, or for those who favour it already, we wanted to uncover which UK accounts prove to be the most popular - suggesting that they’re the most soothing to sleep to.

“As you can see, our findings have revealed that the Scottish accent is the most favoured, racking up a staggering 10 million YouTube videos on the top 10 most popular videos. This is then followed by the Irish accent (with 5 million views) and the Welsh accent (with 500,000 views), and then we finally come to the first English-based accent, with Essex taking fourth place.” 

Top tips for trying ASMR for the first time

If you are new to the term and concept, there are ways to try out ASMR to see if it can help you relax - particularly if you are suffering from stress and anxiety due to the current climate. 

Research the videos 

There are a large number of ASMR videos available, so do your research and try out different sounds to find out which ones work best for you. If you find videos that work, bookmark or save them to make sure you can always go back to them. 

Create a soothing environment 

If you are trying to relax or sleep, make sure that your environment reflects your intentions. So, if you are trying to sleep, turn out the lights, get on your comfiest pyjamas and make sure you have eliminated all distractions in the room. 

If you are watching videos, turn down the brightness on your screen or even turn onto ‘night’ mode to make sure the light from your screen doesn’t keep you up. 

Get your room to a comfortable temperature

Keeping your room at around 18 degrees (give or take a few degrees) should help you sleep, as too hot or too cold can affect your body’s ability to wind down. So, before you settle in for a video, make sure your room is comfortable. 

Use sleep headphones

Wearing headphones will help to block out any additional noise that could take away from the sound of the ASMR video. You can get sleep headphones that are comfortable should you drift off, and also won’t get tangled up like your day-to-day headphones. 

Make sure you wind down 

Winding down will help you relax and there are a number of things you can do, such as taking a warm bath (not hot), light exercises including yoga or even writing to-do lists for the next day, which can help clear your mind of any distractions that might prevent you from sleeping. 

Try the 4-7-8 method 

While you are listening to the noise of your chosen ASMR video, don’t forget to breathe. The 4-7-8 is a method that many have used to help them sleep. 

Firstly, allow your lips to part, breathing out as you do. Next, breathe in for four seconds and then hold your breath to the count of seven. Once you have done that, exhale for eight seconds, making a whooshing sound as you breathe out. 

Get into a routine 

Even adults can benefit from a night-time routine that helps prepare you for sleep. Going to bed at the same time - even if it is to listen to ASMR videos - strengthens your sleep routine and helps you to achieve quality sleep. Even a slight knock in your routine could affect functionality the next day, so it’s best to stick to it. 

Remember to relax 

Once you have chosen your video and you are set up comfortably, don’t forget to try and relax. Lay down in your favourite position to encourage your body to sleep and try and forget about all other tasks. 

If you are still struggling to sleep, check out our guide to the most relaxing TV shows or even read more on the foods that could be keeping you awake. 

Methodology

MattressNextDay analysed the UK’s most notable accents and counted the total YouTube views for the top 10 videos for the term ‘Accent ASMR’. Data was collected 02/03/21.