Does cannabis enhance the musical experience?

Published

7 years ago

February 13, 2019

The association between cannabis culture and music is a common one. It goes back at least as far as jazz in the early 20th century, and has extended over time to a variety of musical genres thanks to ambassadors such as Bob Dylan and the Beatles, Willie Nelson or Bob Marley. In fact, one study showed that cannabis was a constant at music festivals whatever the genre. If we are to believe the testimony of consumer-listeners, cannabis, by altering perception, makes it possible to enjoy music more fully. But what does science have to say on the subject?

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A psychological association?

Before trying to understand the relationship between cannabis use and music perception, we must first understand how each impacts brain activity. According to Michael Thaut, professor of music and neurology at the University of Toronto, listening to music activates the entire nervous system: «the brain is literally on fire when it listens to music».

As for cannabis, we know that it modifies the circulation of blood in the brain, underfeeding certain areas and energizing others. In this case, it increases blood pressure in the orbitofrontal cortex, which handles emotional responses and the reward system, areas which are also stimulated by music. Cannabis use and listening to music both activate the pleasure circuit in the brain by triggering the release of dopamine.

In this case, the amplified activity of the reward system may psychologically condition the consumer to associate cannabis consumption with a better musical experience. This would be a psychological association generally caused by the simultaneous practice of two activities with the same effect. After all, if you do two pleasurable things at the same time, isn't the result twice as pleasurable? Also, the relaxing effect of cannabis could lead to a better appreciation of music.

What happens in the brain

As for the direct effect of cannabis use on music perception, this is more complicated, as there is a lack of research on the subject. To answer this question, we need to directly measure the brain activity of cannabis users when they listen to music. This was done in 2002 by means of electroencephalography conducted on 4 subjects during a listening session before and after cannabis use.

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The researchers found that the brain activity of cannabis-using subjects was altered in the parietal lobe, an area of the brain involved in strategic attention. This resulted in an increased emission of alpha frequencies, which characterize a calmer state of consciousness. Dr. Jörg Fachner, Professor of Music, Health and the Brain at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, interprets these data as indicating increased attention, less demanding of mental energy. It would therefore be «easier to listen, concentrate and relax».

The study results also highlight altered activity in the right and left occipital lobes, which process auditory and spatial information respectively. This suggests that the perception of music is indeed altered by cannabis consumption, and that this is no mere psychological illusion. As sound moves through space, the altered processing of spatial and visual information also testifies to an effective modification of musical perception. Researchers also mention the phenomenon of synesthesia, when the boundary between the senses is blurred by the action of psychotropic drugs.

For Dr. Fachner, Cannabis acts as a psychoacoustic emulator (...) It doesn't change the music, it changes the way the ear works. It changes the way our ear perceives time and space in music«. His study suggests a direct link between cannabis use and altered musical perception, but the limited number of participants diminishes its scientific value. On the other hand, the doctor points us in a new direction: the perception of time. Music is first and foremost a temporal phenomenon, and it has been proven that cannabis alters our perception of time.

The relationship between music and the perception of time

As Professor Thaut explains, the importance of time in acoustic perception is crucial: «The basis of sound is vibration. The strings of a violin, the strings of a piano and so on. Everything is based on time, so the auditory system that processes music has to be extremely good at deciphering time. Does the string vibrate 440 times a second or 450 times a second? It makes a difference in the kind of notes you hear. For Fachner, it's clear that »if we perceive time differently, we'll listen to music differently«, but how does cannabis alter our perception of time, and what does that imply?

Cannabis consumption has been shown to give a subjective experience of slowing down, as if time were lengthening. A study corroborates this feeling. It shows that a 15-second interval is extended to around 16.7 seconds in cannabis-using subjects compared to sober subjects. This difference in time perception may explain why we generally feel we receive more musical information under the influence of cannabis. It may lead users to believe that they are better at discerning notes.

Cannabis has also been shown to impair short-term memory, which in turn alters the individual's judgment and appreciation of the moment. This is the view of professor and psychologist Daniel J Levitin, who writes: «the disruption of short-term memory plunges the listener into the present moment of the music as it unfolds; unable to keep explicitly in mind what has just been played, or to think about what is about to be played, stoned people tend to hear the music note by note (...) The music creates what many describe as a time-stopping phenomenon. They live each note, completely absorbed in the moment».

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A cultural association?

Other experts, such as neuroscientist Sophie Scott of the University of London, are more skeptical. She says: «I sometimes wonder if the relationship between cannabis and music isn't a happy coincidence on two counts: the fact that they activate similar brain regions, but also that they've been carried along by the same culture. Maybe there are more cultural connections than neuronal ones.

Whether it's a cultural, psychological or physical association, some people already see it as a business opportunity. This is the case of Rachelle Gordon, for example, who has launched her start-up Hi-Tune. She explains that «each pre-rolled joint illustrates a different artist and comes with a QR code for a free song by that artist to download». Marking weed and music together is nothing new, and has even become an integral part of reggae and hip hop culture. A few months ago, on the occasion of the release of his new album, Cypress Hill released a limited edition with a selection of his own weed to enhance the listening experience.