TikTokers can't get enough of pharmacy ASMR, where drugs are loudly poured, counted, and bottled

• TikTok videos where pharmacy technicians pour and sort pills are going viral.
• The trend is a type of ASMR that causes some people to feel calm and sleepy.
• Hair brushing and nail tapping can also elicit the response.

Videos that show pharmacy technicians chopping pulverized drugs and sorting and pouring pills have become the latest TikTok trend. Users say the trend, called pharmacy ASMR, helps them relax and reduces feelings of anxiety.

It's a niche twist on ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response. The term refers to the tingling sensation a person might experience when they hear whisper-level sounds like the crinkling of a potato chip bag, brushing of hair, tapping of nails, or pouring of pills into a plastic bottle.

"ASMR...is a deeply relaxing sensation," Craig Richard, who holds a Ph.D. in physiology and cell biology and has authored numerous works on ASMR, previously told Insider.

He said ASMR feels like "sparkly tingles that start in your head" and then go down the spine, back of the neck, or throughout the body.

ASMR was coined in 2010 by cybersecurity professional Jennifer Allen. ASMR content has become so popular that social media influencers have turned the concept into entire careers, Insider previously reported.

How ASMR works

Although little research exists on the science behind ASMR, some researchers have theorized how it works.

Richard said ASMR triggers could stimulate the "biological pathways" that humans use when bonding with a romantic partner, close friend, or family member, thus eliciting "similar responses like feeling comforted, feeling relaxed, and feeling secure."

ASMR can aid with relaxation and sleep, say fans

When a person hears whispering, crinkling, tapping, or other ASMR triggers, they experience tingling sensations throughout their body. But the physical sensations aren't the only reasons people watch ASMR content. A 2017 study found that 41% of respondents watch ASMR videos to help them fall asleep, while 59% watch to relax.

Just as the reasons vary, so do the triggers. A 2015 study examined ASMR triggers and found that whispering was the most common, with 75% of participants saying it caused body tingles. 64% of participants cited "crisp sounds," like the crackling of foil or tapping of fingernails, as triggers, and 53% said "slow movements," like pouring water, were triggers.

Though different people prefer or only react to certain triggers, they typically seek them for the same reason: the physical and emotional side effects.