Photo: Ali Pazani

Can music be a drug?

Music and drugs both create pleasure by acting on the brain's opioid system. Singing can release endorphins, which many drugs do as well. Many drugs, like prescriptions, can dull pain. Music has also been shown to provide a sense of relief in stressful or painful situations like surgeries.

silverpinestreatmentcenter.com - Can Music Be Considered A Drug? - Silver Pines Treatment Center

Are your fingers fatter in summer or winter?

Fingers are typically bigger in the summer (hot) and smaller in the winter (cold). Fingers swell when you sleep and are bigger in the morning. The...

Last updated Sep 6, 2018

Are all keycaps sizes same?

Keycaps profiles come in all different shapes and sizes! As you can see, keycaps profiles differ in height, shape, and more. Take a look at the...

Last updated May 9, 2020

Promotion

What Your Favorite Songs & Illegal Drugs Have In Common

Do you feel a sense of happiness and pleasure when listening to your favorite genre of music? Have you ever gotten chills during your favorite song? Would you prefer to listen to music over doing…pretty much anything else?

You might say you have a “music addiction,” and you could actually be right. Many recent studies show that there are, in fact, a few connections between the functions that occur when we listen to music and when we take drugs.

The Human Response to Music

As you most likely know, music can release emotions in humans that other forms of entertainment may not be able to. We can connect and relate to music in a way that feels unique, and there may be a few reasons for that. We don’t just feel it emotionally, we feel it physically, too. From chills on the arm to hairs standing up on the back of the neck, a variety of physical responses can be triggered when you’re listening to a song. And of course, singing music has its own effects. For some people, singing unleashes something in them that they can’t explain. This is all because of the magic of music, and maybe a dash of something extra.

What Are the Similarities Between Drugs & Music?

Here are just a few things that taking drugs and listening to/producing music might have in common: Music and drugs both create pleasure by acting on the brain’s opioid system. Singing can release endorphins, which many drugs do as well. Many drugs, like prescriptions, can dull pain. Music has also been shown to provide a sense of relief in stressful or painful situations like surgeries. But the main similarity between drugs and music lies in one ingredient: dopamine.

Discovering Dopamine: How It Affects You

Dopamine is released in the moment when people feel pleasure. It can happen when people:

Eat

Have sex

Gamble

Do drugs

Listen to music

When the brain’s opioid system is activated, dopamine is released. This identical action occurs both when people listen to music and use drugs, making them more similar that we may think.

The Science Behind Drugs & Music

People don’t just say that they feel certain things when listening to music; scientists have actually studied it. People who get chills during their favorite songs have been examined for thor temperature, breathing, and blood rate as well to determine rises that would be parallel with drug use. One specific study, conducted at McGill University, had a group of participants listen to music they liked. On one day of the experiment, they took an opiate-blocking medication first (naltrexone). After taking it, they no longer enjoyed the same songs as much.

Is Music A Drug?

Long story short: while we wouldn’t normally call music a drug, we could realistically maintain a healthy addiction to it. Music is at such a high value all over the world, and maybe the dopamine connection has something to do with it bringing us all together. To learn more about the specifics of addiction, contact us by visiting us here or calling 866-345-2147.

What kind of music is best for depression?

The top genre for depressed listeners is rock, followed closely by alternative, pop, and hip-hop/rap. On the other end of the spectrum, blues is...

Last updated Aug 8, 2021

Where did Eddie Van Halen learn to tap?

Specifically, Van Halen says it was watching Led Zeppelin play the Forum during the '70s where he first got the idea to start tapping. “I think I...

Last updated Aug 18, 2021

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.

Learn More »

Promotion

Which organ works after death?

The brain and nerve cells require a constant supply of oxygen and will die within a few minutes, once you stop breathing. The next to go will be the heart, followed by the liver, then the kidneys and pancreas, which can last for about an hour. Skin, tendons, heart valves and corneas will still be alive after a day.

sciencefocus.com - When we die, does our whole body die at the same time?

Asked by: Andy Hurman, Bedford

Definitely not. The brain and nerve cells require a constant supply of oxygen and will die within a few minutes, once you stop breathing. The next to go will be the heart, followed by the liver, then the kidneys and pancreas, which can last for about an hour. Skin, tendons, heart valves and corneas will still be alive after a day. White blood cells, which are more independent, can keep going for almost three days. Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.

What are short piano pieces called?

bagatelle bagatelle: a short, light instrumental piece of music of no specified form, usually for piano.

Last updated Oct 28, 2021

Which is harder poplar or basswood?

Basswood has a hardness of 410 pounds, while yellow poplar (tulip poplar) is 540 pounds. Basswood is about 75% of the hardness of y-p (or y-p is...

Last updated Oct 21, 2018

Promotion

Why do chefs not use wooden spoons?

While they are strong and sturdy, they can crack over time if they're exposed to high heat for long periods of time. The drying cycle, in...

Last updated Mar 7, 2020

Promotion

Are there any 1 chord songs?

Among pop songs that stick to the one chord, notable examples include Sonny and Cher's 'The Beat Goes On', Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Run...

Last updated Jan 5, 2018