This craze just might rub you the fitting way.
“Brain flossing” — or “brain massaging” — is quickly becoming the most popular self-healing trend online, with social media sound lovers seemingly achieving inner peace inside seconds.
“After I first experienced it, it literally brought me to tears,” said purported “mindset mentor” Rea Michelle in her viral brain massage bulletin, which has racked up greater than 1.1 million TikTok views.
The hashtags #BrainFloss and #BrainMassage have amassed a combined 86.1 million views on the platform.
“All you’ve got to do is sit back, close your eyes and get some headphones,” said Michelle, adding that people without ear gear could turn their smartphones to the side, horizontally, and tuck it between their chin and neck for a smiling “flossing” effect.
“I would like you to place those headphones on,” she instructed. “It’s going to be 10 times higher if you’ve got headphones on.”
After preparing virtual audiences for the mental floss, Michelle played the song “Trampoline” by pop trio SHAED in what’s often called “8D” audio — a supersonic illusion that causes each ear to listen to tones at different frequencies.
The specialized stereo is “created through a mix of equalization techniques, panning and computer graphics,” per music-tech company EpidemicSound.
“Combined, these components give the listener a sensation of getting the music playing ‘inside’ their head,” reads the location.
The noise is claimed to have a soothing effect on the brain.
In truth, the advantages of listening to 8D music have been likened to binaural beats — which occur when two tones align together with your brain waves to provide a beat of a distinct frequency.
While there was limited clinical research on the health advantages of binaural beats, specialists at WebMD have reported that the unique audio can increase cognitive and artistic enhancement, reduce anxiety, improve sleeping habits and improve focus, attention and memory retention.
A 2017 study from the Gantt Clinical Research Institute of 74 military members also found that participants who listened to binaural beats reported less stress over the course of a four-week trial.
Grammy winner Ricky Martin, 51, tapped into ultra-immersive audio as a type of anti-anxiety “medicine” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “Living la Vida Loca” crooner launched Martin Music Labs, alongside mixing engineer Jaycen Joshua, to create “Orbital Audio,” or sound that feels as if it’s “flying” around one’s head.
Representatives for Ricky Martin didn’t immediately reply to The Post’s request for comment.
But in October 2020, Martin told FastCompany, “The primary couple of days in lockdown were extremely overwhelming.
“Everybody was telling me, ‘Ricky, you’re going to must cancel all of your tours.’ So for me, I used to be like, ‘Hold on a second. Let’s just hearken to music. That is my medicine,’” he continued.
Very similar to the viral #DopamineMakeup movement, which helped Gen Z and millennial cosmetics buffs feel relaxed by painting their faces in whacky colours, or the #DopamineDressing trend that saw fashionistas throwing caution to the wind with wildly daring outerwear, the #BrainFlossing fad is being hailed a cathartic game-changer.
“[Brain massaging] brings my brain into a great place,” said a neurodivergent advocate in a TikTok clip with greater than 2.4 million views.
“Why am I crying?” asked one other brain flosser named Billy Rubino, from St. Petersburg, Florida, in a separate video featuring his somatic healing session. “It may help with ADHD, anxiety and worry.”
And brain flossing frequenters say the relief ritual is a useful practice for all.
“Having fun with this just isn’t specific to being neurodivergent,” encouraged a 26-year-old TikToker often called Beth, who grapples with ADHD and psoriatic arthritis.
“Anyone can enjoy it or hate it.”