Two hours into a red-eye flight from Singapore to Sydney, I’m about to lose it.
My 6-foot-3 frame is crammed into a seat barely big enough for a toddler.
It brings to mind the famous quote from the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre:Hell is other people.
Only I’m quite sure Sartre never had to endure themiddle seat in economy.
“Hi there,” it begins.
“I’m Doctor Webber, and I’ll be doing your eye test today.”
Once again, my sanity had been saved by ASMR.
In the past few years, the airlines have started getting in on the action.
“This is heaven on earth to me.”
Some of the most elaborate videos are those offered on the Whispering Wings ASMR channel on YouTube.
Whispering Wings even records its own pilot announcements, and pairs them with real-life communications from air traffic control.
“Some people find the phenomena baffling.”
I’ve been experiencingASMR “tingles"since I was a kid.
OnceASMR videosbecame available, I started consuming them like aspirin.
But while the term ASMR is relatively new, researchers say the response itself is as old as time.
I remember trying this DIY version of ASMR during a flight to London.
For the first few hours of the flight, everything was hunky-dory.
Then, three rows ahead of me, a baby started wailing.
My iPhone was out of juice, so I couldn’t reach for my tried-and-true ASMR video.
But not even 007, with his license to kill, could silence the ceaseless cries.
By focusing on their voices, I was able to restore my calm.
Mukerjea, the events marketer who relies on ASMR to travel, recalls a similar experience.
So she began zeroing in on sounds that felt more calming.
“Instead of getting lost in the chaos, I leaned into the rhythmic undercurrent,” she recalls.
“These natural sounds pull me beyond the cabin, making my journey feel less confined.”
My own embrace of ASMR has improved not only my flights but also the rest of my vacations.
It’s also made me a bettertravel companionto my wife, who’s much more easygoing than I am.
In 2023, ourhoneymoon in Japancoincided with a ferocious heat wave.
Airless and humid, the heat was even worse in the park than in the city.
Then, out of desperation, I turned to ASMR.
“Why have you stopped, hon?”
“No,” I said.
“Just tingling.”
Daniel Seifert is a freelance writer.
He lives in Singapore.
