Also known as frissons – a French term that can be translated as chills or shudders – skin orgasms are that pleasant sensation of awe that runs through our body when, for example, we listen to a particularly emotional fragment of a song or we contemplate a moving scene of a song. movie . According to various studies, the percentage of humans who are able to experience skin orgasms ranges between 55% and 86% of the world’s population . When listening to a piece of music, the more intellectually immersed in the song the person is – instead of just hearing it – the more likely it is that they will feel the frissons , powerful tingles in the stomach so intense that they reach the condition of orgasm.
So is it possible to purposely create a melody that manages to produce aesthetic shudders? How to do it? Different investigations on the subject in recent decades point to unexpected harmonies, sudden changes in volume or the emotional entrance of a soloist – violins are especially effective – as triggers for skin orgasm . The piano is also very erotic. For example, Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 for Piano in E minor is one of the pieces that can produce the most electric discharges of pleasure in listeners. Other compositions cited by experts with this quality are the Passion according to Saint John , by JS Bach, and the aria La Casta Diva , from the opera Norma , by Vincenzo Bellini, especially if the one who sings it is Maria Callas.
But the personality of the listener is also important. A character trait commonly present in those who feel frisson is that they are individuals who are “open to experience.” It also helps a lot to have an active imagination, appreciate beauty and nature, and love variety in life.
ASMR: science or subjective experience?
Not only music, but also specific sounds, can trigger intense sensations; what is called “relaxing brain tingling” or Southern Sensory Response (widely known as ASMR, has seen an exponential increase in popularity, especially on the Internet: there are more than 13 million ASMR videos on YouTube.
Research published in April 2019 by the University of Sheffield concludes that these tingles in response to specific triggers, such as whispering, tapping, and slow hand movements, may have mental and physical health benefits.
It must be emphasized that not all people experience these very specific sensations. ASMR is the sensation that some people experience in response to specific sights and sounds, which is described as a warm, tingling, and pleasant sensation that begins at the crown of the head and spreads throughout the body. The “tingles”, sometimes described as “brain tingles” or “brain orgasms,” are often accompanied by feelings of calm and relaxation.
