TBC

Compared to most other superpowers, mine seems fairly decorous. My superpower is an
orphean tingling sensation that ripples down my scalp and spine when I sharpen my attention
to tranquil sounds and movements, such as whispers and tapping. In this numbing flow of
concentration, the destination is immediate relaxation and drowsiness, ending in the
inevitable; sleep. This is called Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR).
My interest lies in intervention points and health and well-being tools for progressive
conditions like dementia, which can impact health and social care policies. This is a fusion of
my experience working in the social care sector, research in ASMR science and my personal
captivation of the experience.
An estimated 850,000 people are living with dementia in the UK, this costs the economy £23
billion a year (GOV.uk). By 2040 it is expected that the number of people with dementia will
double and costs will treble. Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of progressive
conditions which are associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning. My experience
working for Helping Hands (a domiciliary care company specialising in dementia) has
emphasised a lack of instruments for the intervention of onset and the care and support
services available for people with dementia. I have seen first-hand the huge effects of positive
personal attention on this population. However, the cost of care; pressures on the system; and
busy family schedules, commonly result in these individuals lacking sufficient positive social
engagement. ASMR essentially simulates positive social engagement, even in those who do
not feel tingles, and therefore its potential benefits for the individual in dementia care are
intensely promising. Since better social connectedness reduces the risk of dementia,
simulating this through ASMR may even delay the onset in older populations, and may be
employed beneficially to complement the management of dementia patients, and of other
elderly people where real social engagement is lacking. I am currently planning research
between the University of Essex and Helping Hands in which ASMR intervention will be
used to alleviate the negative impact of loneliness in the elderly population during the
lockdown. The Soc-B programme would give me a platform to explore the benefits of ASMR
on a much larger scale. I intend to do this using brain imaging (EEG) to compare brain
responses to real social stimuli with those to ASMR; face-to-face interview to measure the
salience of social engagement on individual's life satisfaction and depressive symptoms, and
questionnaires to quantify changes in interpersonal needs. If a robust understanding of ASMR
benefits could be achieved, the impact of this research for neurodegenerative conditions
would be on an unprecedented scale.
Additionally, the most common reasons people cite for engaging with ASMR-triggering
media are relaxation and sleep. Loss of sleep has serious consequences for mental health and
cognitive function. Disturbed sleep is common throughout the elderly population and is
strongly predictive of vascular dementia. Research has already illustrated temporary
improvements in symptoms of depression and chronic pain in those who engage in ASMR,
the same may be true for symptoms of sleep disturbances in the elderly and in others.
Research measuring the effect of ASMR on sleep (duration and quality) may have vast
significance in the implementation of ASMR as a sleep intervention that is cost-effective,
simple and quick to apply.
My understanding of the social care system paired with having earned a first-class degree in
BSc Psychology at The University of Essex (alongside a place on the Dean's list of
Excellence in both years) makes me very well placed to be at the forefront of this research
and its application.