TikTok bottle smashing trend: what is viral trend, why do some people compare it to ASMR but others hate it?

Many trends have been started on TikTok - and lots of them don’t seem to make much sense, but for some reason people can’t get enough of them.

Think of Jasper the doll, eating oranges in the shower and the beaning trend  . . . on the surface, there’s no logical reason why these videos should go viral and be shared or recreated many times, but they are. Whatsmore, these are just some examples of the most bizarre TikTok trends, there are actually countless.

The latest in odd TikTok trends involves people purposefully rolling bottles down the stairs so they can watch them - and hear them - smash. Like a lot of trends, this one has divided opinion. Some people can’t get enough of it, while others just want to get away from it. But, what is the bottle smashing trend and just what have people said about it? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the TikTok bottle smashing trend?

The TikTok bottle smashing trend involves people filling glass bottles with drink or food and then rolling them down some stairs so that they smash at the bottom. The videos are otherwise silent, so all that people can hear when they are watching the videos is the sound of the bottle rolling down, step by step, and then eventually smashing.

Videos which have the description of “bottle breaking trend” currently have more than 597 million views - and that number is continuing to grow. The videos vary in length, some are just a minute and show just one bottle smashing but others last ten minutes or more and show multiple bottles being rolled down the stairs.

What have people said about the trend?

Reactions to the video have been mixed. Some users have said they provide a relaxing ASMR experience for them are some of the videos are even uploaded with the hashtag #ASMR. Others, however, said they found the videos to be annoying and hate the sounds of the bottle smashing. In more extreme circumstances, some users said it triggered their misophonia. You’ll find more information about ASMR and misophonia below.

Some people are also confused by the trend and can’t understand why people are wasting the food and drink inside the bottle. This is particularly the case when people perform the trend using bottles of alcohol. Others commented that it would take some time to clean up the mess created by the bottle smash. One person, for example, said: “This would be a mess to clean up but I love watching these.” Other users are simply mesmerised by the anticipation of waiting for the bottle to smash, or the patterns which are left on the ground by the shards of glass or the food or drink contained inside.

What is AMSR?

ASMR stands for “autonomous sensory meridian response”. It describes the sensation you feel from hearing certain sounds or seeing certain visuals. Many people who use ASMR say they feel a tingling that starts on their head and moves down the back of the neck, and then across their whole body. Other people, however, say it gives them a deeply calm feeling that washes over their bodies, starting on the scalp throughout their whole body. Some people even say that using ASMR helps them to sleep.

ASMR videos have been popular across TikTok and Youtube for many years, and often include people whispering or speaking very slowly and softly or making quiet sounds such as brushing, tapping or scratching.

What is misophonia?

Misophonia is a health disorder, and sufferers have negative responses to certain sounds. Hearing the sounds that bother them can trigger emotional or physiological responses that may be perceived as extreme. Those who have misophonia might describe it as when a sound “drives you crazy” and their reactions can range from anger and annoyance to panic and the desire to get as far away from the sound as possible. People have a reduced tolerance for sounds that they do not like, and their reactions to it can be seen as disproportionate to the circumstance.

The responses of sufferers do not seem to be evoked by the loudness of the sound, but rather by the specific pattern of the sound, or the meaning of the sound to the hearer. The sounds which trigger misophonia symptoms vary, as does the severity of the condition, which ranges from mild to severe.