First-person visual perspective enhances audiovisual synchrony effects in autonomous sensory meridian response

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation at the scalp and moving down the neck, which is often accompanied by positive feelings. ASMR is typically induced by auditory stimulation produced by someone’s actions, but studies suggest that such auditory-evoked ASMR can be modulated by visual input. What factors contribute to audiovisual interactions that generate ASMR? Although studies have shown that audiovisual congruency plays a role, the contributions of other visual factors, such as perspective and proximity, remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted two preregistered psychophysical experiments to examine the effects of visual perspective and audiovisual congruency on ASMR. Participants rated the intensity, valence, and arousal of experienced ASMR after watching video clips in which audiovisual temporal synchrony was manipulated. In Experiment 1, participants observed a dummy head being stimulated with objects by another person (third-person perspective), and audiovisual congruency showed no significant effects across perceptual dimensions. In Experiment 2, where both audiovisual congruency and visual perspective were manipulated, the congruency effect of the intensity emerged only when participants observed the actions from a first-person perspective. These results highlight the critical role of visual perspective in visuo-auditory interactions underlying ASMR evoked by others’ action sounds.