The associations between paranormal beliefs and sleep variables.

Previous studies have found significant associations between paranormal beliefs and sleep variables. However, these have been conducted on a small scale and are limited in the number of sleep variables investigated. This study aims to fill a gap in the literature by investigating paranormal beliefs in relation to a wide range of sleep variables in a large sample.

Still More Than a Feeling: Commentary on Cash et al., "Expectancy Effects in the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response" and Recommendations for Measurement in Future ASMR Research.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) - the sensory phenomenon experienced by some people in response to visual and auditory stimuli such as whispering - has attracted substantial public attention but is not yet well understood or well established within the scientific community. Recent research published in PeerJ by Cash, Heisick and Papesh (2018) investigated whether ASMR could be a placebo effect (resulting from expectation) rather than a genuine experience triggered by ASMR-inducing stimuli. In this article, we provide a commentary on Cash et al.

More than a feeling: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by reliable changes in affect and physiology.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) describes the experience of tingling sensations in the crown of the head, in response to a range of audio-visual triggers such as whispering, tapping, and hand movements. Public interest in ASMR has risen dramatically and ASMR experiencers watch ASMR videos to promote relaxation and sleep. Unlike ostensibly similar emotional experiences such as "aesthetic chills" from music and awe-inspiring scenarios, the psychological basis of ASMR has not yet been established.

The association between controlled interpersonal affect regulation and resource depletion.

Background: This investigation focuses on what occurs to individuals' self-regulatory resource during controlled Interpersonal Affect Regulation (IAR) which is the process of deliberately influencing the internal feeling states of others. Combining the strength model of self-regulation and the resources conservation model, the investigation tested whether: (1) IAR behaviors are positively related to ego-depletion because goal-directed behaviors demand self-regulatory processes, and (2) the use of affect-improving strategies benefits from a source of resource-recovery because it initiates positive feedback from targets, as proposed from a resource-conservation perspective.

Method: To test this, a lab study based on an experimental dual-task paradigm using a sample of pairs of friends in the UK and a longitudinal field study of a sample of healthcare workers in Spain were conducted.