Introduction

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is the human response to auditory, visual or tactile stimuli, often noted as a 'tingling' or a goosebump-inducing reaction to the aforementioned stimuli (Engelbregt et al., 2022). In the interest of this study, 'Mommy ASMR', specifically soft-spoken, attention providing, and a roleplay of a higher authority in ASMR, according to a study by Sakurai et. al in 2023, is noted to arouse significant activation in the visual and auditory cortex, and can induce a relaxed mood in individuals who have listened to these ASMR.

In Hypixel Skyblock, an MMORPG gamemode in the Hypixel Minecraft server (Hypixel SkyBlock Wiki, 2023), the catacombs, often known as 'dungeons', is a particularly popular gamemode for players interested in combat related content. In particular, floor 7, both in normal and master modes, is widely popular for the high value items that have a low chance of being obtained in this floors. As such, players would often optimise their playthroughs in these floors for maximum efficiency for the highest possible money made through selling these high value items.

However, in the current state of science, complete optimization of human motor activities is thought to be not possible (Glazier and Davids, 2009). And players would often make mistakes during runs, either due to negligence, or, the focus of this study, physical and mental burnout.

Discussion

Burnout syndrome, often referred to as burnout, is the state of physical and emotional exhaustion from prominent 'stressors' from an individual's day-to-day life (Khammissa et al., 2022). Due to Hypixel Skyblock dungeon players' aim for perfection and maximal efficiency in every run, players who are falling behind will often feel a sense of lack of accomplishment, and will often feel exhausted due to the constant need to keep up with the higher performing players, which are all causes that will ultimately lead to burnout, as noted in a study done by Maslach and Leiter in 2016.

Higher performing players, particularly those that are referred to as the "carry" of a dungeon party, is often blamed for their mistakes. Due to the high expectations of relatively lower performing players, mental exhaustion will set in, leading to more mistakes being made, causing a positive feedback loop resulting in worse runs and poorer burnout.

One effective way of reversing the effects of burnout is for the affected individual to receive positive affirmations and mindfulness-related activities for their work (Abundo and Sav, 2025), all of which can be obtained from positive-themed, encouragement focused mommy ASMR.

Conclusion

Due to the mood improvements, stress-reliving, and relaxation-inducing effect ASMR can have on individuals, I have concluded that "Mommy ASMR" is effective in reducing the negative emotions, namely stress and pressure, that may be induced in dungeon players, leading to more consistent results and better performance.

References

Engelbregt, H.J., Brinkman, K., van Geest, C.C.E., Irrmischer, M. and Deijen, J.B. (2022). The effects of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) on mood, attention, heart rate, skin conductance and EEG in healthy young adults. Experimental Brain Research, 240(6), pp.1727–1742. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-022-06377-9.v

Sakurai, N., Nagasaka, K., Takahashi, S., Kasai, S., Onishi, H. and Kodama, N. (2023). Brain function effects of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) video viewing. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1025745.

Hypixel SkyBlock Wiki. (2023). Introduction. [online] Available at: https://wiki.hypixel.net/introduction.

Glazier, P.S. and Davids, K. (2009). Constraints on the Complete Optimization of Human Motion. Sports Medicine, 39(1), pp.15–28. doi:https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200939010-00002.

Khammissa, R.A.G., Nemutandani, S., Feller, G., Lemmer, J. and Feller, L. (2022). Burnout phenomenon: neurophysiological factors, clinical features, and aspects of management. Journal of International Medical Research, [online] 50(9), p.030006052211064. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/03000605221106428.

Maslach, C. and Leiter, M.P. (2016). Understanding the Burnout experience: Recent Research and Its Implications for Psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), pp.103–111. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311.

Abundo, M.F. and Sav, A. (2025). A Decade of Advancements: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness of Interventions to Reduce Burnout AmongMental Health Nurses. Healthcare, 13(17), p.2113. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172113.