A Blur concert sells out in two minutes, while The Cure’s tour breaks attendance records. McDonald’s commercials star Grimace. Mission Impossible thrills at the box office. What year is it? you ask.

ASMR is that weird, intoxicating tingling some people feel when they hear certain sounds — whispers, tapping, brushing, crinkling. For those who get it, the sensation can start at the scalp and ripple ...