There Is A Scientific Reason Why We Are All Mesmerized By Deep-Cleaning Videos
Louise Peralta
Do you ever have that thing happen to you where you are just mindlessly scrolling through your phone, then you get sucked in with watching a kind of content that, in real life, you would find extremely boring?
Yes, I’m talking about cleaning videos. There’s just something about watching things get sparkling clean in mere seconds that is just so satisfying that you won’t be able to look away.
I, for one, need to hype myself up first before I’m supposed to clean anything in the house. There are dishes in the sink? Let me set up a playlist for that. Time for some routine cleaning of my workspace? Let me just put some popcorn in the microwave first so I can eat while I clean. But ooh boy, show me those ASMR cleaning videos and I’ll be able to sit and watch it the whole day.
That’s the exact reason why I avoid using social media. I’m a weak person and will always succumb to the lure of cleaning videos. The Scrub family, you know what I’m talking about, have probably become a household name now due to Instagram and TikTok’s massive cleaning community and their viewers.
It turns out, the reason why these types of videos are popular is due to ASMR, or the autonomous sensory meridian response, which is a phenomenon in which an audiovisual experience can trigger a pleasurable response from a person, often a tingling sensation on the scalp and neck. ASMR videos are the internet’s ultimate black hole of content.
But triggering ASMR can vary. There are those who respond well to the sound of chewing food, there are those who like watching people cook (yes, give me that sizzle), and then there are those who like the audiovisual experience of watching things get cleaned. I personally hate the sound of a person eating or slurping food, but I find it extremely satisfying when I hear harsh scrubbing on a kitchen counter or sink.
Not everyone experiences the tingling sensation that ASMR can bring, but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t affected. According to a study, it helps promote relaxation and sleep, and it also helps regulate emotions.
Another study showed that those who experience ASMR had higher levels of neuroticism and anxiety compared to the average person, making way for the assumption that ASMR may be therapeutic for some.
“So if people might want to experience something vicariously, like control, then it could be possible through something like cleaning videos,” said one researcher.
Did reading about cleaning videos made you want to watch one? I got you. Here’s a #CleanTok compilation I found on Youtube. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot6Z_fZJ88A
