Effects of ASMR on mental fatigue recovery revealed by EEG power and brain network analysis

Si, Yueguang; Sun, Yu; Wu, Kuijun; Gao, Lingyun; Wang, Sujie; Xu, Mengru; Qi, Xuchen · 2025 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1619424

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Summary

This study investigates the efficacy of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) as a novel intervention for alleviating mental fatigue, a condition characterized by subjective exhaustion and reduced alertness that poses significant risks in high-stakes environments like driving. While traditional recovery methods such as rest, music, or exercise have limitations regarding consistency and applicability, ASMR has shown potential for inducing relaxation and reducing anxiety. The research aims to determine whether ASMR can effectively recover mental fatigue and to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms using electroencephalography (EEG) power spectral density and brain network analysis. The researchers employed a within-subject experimental design with 28 healthy young adults. Participants completed two counterbalanced sessions: a "No-Break" session involving a continuous 30-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) to induce fatigue, and an "ASMR-Break" session where a 4-minute ASMR audio intervention was inserted after 15 minutes of the PVT. Behavioral performance was measured via reaction times, while neural dynamics were assessed through EEG recordings. Data were analyzed for both immediate effects (comparing periods immediately before and after the ASMR break) and general effects (comparing the start and end of the task). Statistical analyses included repeated-measures ANOVAs for behavioral and EEG metrics, and graph theoretical analysis to evaluate functional brain connectivity and small-world network properties. Behavioral results indicated that the PVT successfully induced mental fatigue, evidenced by increased reaction times and decreased subjective engagement in the No-Break session. The ASMR intervention demonstrated a significant immediate effect, reducing reaction times post-intervention compared to the pre-intervention period. However, no significant general effect on long-term fatigue recovery was observed when comparing the start and end of the task across sessions. Neurophysiologically, the study revealed complex spatio-spectral alterations. Specifically, the ASMR intervention prevented the typical increase in small-worldness in the theta band associated with fatigue. Furthermore, the correlation between changes in small-worldness and reaction times diminished following the ASMR intervention, suggesting a decoupling of neural network efficiency from behavioral performance degradation. The findings suggest that ASMR acts as an effective immediate intervention for mitigating the acute effects of mental fatigue, likely by modulating functional brain connectivity and preventing the hyper-efficient small-world network reorganization typically seen during fatigue. While ASMR did not show long-term recovery benefits in this specific paradigm, its ability to provide immediate relief and alter neural dynamics highlights its potential utility for real-time fatigue management. The study provides preliminary insight into the neural mechanisms of ASMR, supporting further research into its application for enhancing safety and performance in environments prone to cognitive exhaustion.

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• neuro workload indices