Whilst the removal of lockdown restrictions will be a relief for some, many are still feeling anxious about returning to their old lives. Over the past year, we’ve been challenged like never before, and with doom-filled news cycles and enforced isolation from family and friends, our ability to self-soothe has never been more important. Enter baking ASMR. From soothing ‘sound ASMR’ to hypnotic loop ‘visual ASMR’, these videos can leave us in a calmer, more meditative state.
Online searches for ‘ASMR’ have increased by 253% in the last five years, experiencing their biggest peak last month. When combined with baking – a therapeutic activity in itself – you’ve got yourself the perfect recipe for relaxation and one that has seen a huge rise in popularity over the last month with views of #bakingtherapy on TikTok up 100% since June.
Videos tagged with #bakingasmr currently rack up over 16 million views on TikTok. From dreamy decorating techniques to simple yet pleasing step-by-step baking methods, they are the perfect way to unwind after a hectic day.
The experts at Dr. Oetker knew the last few weeks would be challenging for many so looked to track some of the most popular baking hashtags on TikTok to understand just how much people were turning to this time of content to help them relax. By reviewing the top 100 #bakingASMR videos on TikTok and they then extracted the correlating hashtags to find the most satisfying baking content out there: https://www.oetker.co.uk/uk-en/articles/asmr-baking
Top 10 Most Popular Baking ASMR Hashtags Right Now
| ASMR Hashtags | TikTok Views – June 30th | TikTok Views – July 28th | % uplift over 1 month |
| #bakingtherapy | 3,100,000 | 6,200,000 | 100% |
| #cakereels | 3,300,000 | 5,000,000 | 52% |
| #fondantart | 132,500,000 | 177,400,000 | 34% |
| #cupcakedecorating | 59,900,000 | 78,900,000 | 32% |
| #macarontutorial | 2,300,000 | 3,000,000 | 30% |
| #cakedecoratingtutorial | 26,300,000 | 34,100,000 | 30% |
| #cakedecoratingvideos | 130,200,000 | 167,000,000 | 28% |
| #bakingasmr | 13,400,000 | 16,600,000 | 24% |
| #cakedecorating | 3,000,000,000 | 3,700,000,000 | 23% |
| #oddlysatisfying | 33,700,000,000 | 39,800,000,000 | 18% |
What the experts say
To understand the science behind ASMR baking, the team consulted with Lee Chambers, Environmental Psychologist and Wellbeing Consultant, who explained:
“ASMR is soothing and relaxing because it activates the areas of our brains involved in empathy, emotions and affiliation. It reduces our heart rate and stress levels, triggering our relaxation response. Not everyone experiences ASMR, and for those who do, there are often strong individual preferences. In baking, this could be the crunch of cookies, the dripping of icing or someone perfecting their piping. As well as generally boosting our mood, ASMR baking is a great way to relieve stress, reduce anxiety and find some peace and serenity away from our usual busy and hectic lives.”
If you’re looking to create your own calming baking experience at home, Dr. Oetker’s resident baking expert, has some top tips for how to get relaxed when baking:
- Before you start baking, pre-measure all of your ingredients into bowls or containers so you have them to hand for when the recipe needs them.
- Remember to get out all of the equipment beforehand too. You don’t want to be fumbling around in your kitchen draws trying to find a whisk halfway through.
- Why not pop on your favourite radio station or tunes. Baking is always more fun when you have some music to relax too.
- Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time so you’re not rushing, this way you can enjoy the baking and decorating process.
- Whilst your bake is in the oven, make yourself a cup of tea to enjoy whilst the sweet smell of baking fills your kitchen.
- Make sure your bake has fully cooled before you try decorating it, there is nothing more stressful than buttercream melting off your cake as it’s still warm.
