Whispers of Change: Positive Climate Communication Through ASMR and Its Potential for Climate Engagement

In recent years, interest has grown in using positive climate communication, broadly understood as climate messages designed to evoke constructive emotional, cognitive, and relational responses, such as hope, efficacy, and nature connectedness, rather than fear or anxiety, to foster climate engagement. While most research has focused on traditional journalism, Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos, featuring whispered content and natural soundscapes, may offer a novel sensory-affective format to complement such messages and foster reflective engagement with climate change. This study first explored participants’ reflections through an open-ended thought-listing, showing that ASMR videos can elicit appreciation of nature and personal responsibility for climate action. A 2 × 2 between-subjects online experiment (N = 159) then tested whether whispered narration and nature sounds influence contentment, momentary well-being, and behavioral intentions. Quantitative analyses revealed no significant effects. However, qualitative thought-listing data suggest that ASMR may present an innovative sensory-affective format that can foster emotional engagement and reflective consideration of climate action, pointing to new directions for positive climate communication.