Study Finds Magic Mushrooms Increase Enjoyment of Music

If psychonauts rather than scientists were attending it might have been met with a ‘….yeah, duh!’, but as it was, there were just some very excited neuropsychopharmacology experts. 

The Close Relationship Between Music and Psychedelics

But, sarcasm aside, this is fascinating news. Music and psychedelics, from magic mushrooms to LSD, have always been closely interlinked. The flower-power psychedelic era of the ‘60s changed music forever. It created a whole new scape of sounds, styles, and icons — like Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane et al. It’s no secret all of these artists were ‘dabbling’ with psychedelics for inspiration. And, far before The Dark Side of the Moon, Woodstock, flared jeans or anything of the sort, there were the indigenous users of natural psychedelics. Whether Native American, Peruvian, Mexican or even Celtic, songs, chanting and music always accompanied these sacred and spiritual trips. They were part of the process. 

The Emotional Response To Music

However, the psychedelic scientists have managed to quantify the experience in a way only scientists can. They found that psilocybin increased the emotional response to music by up to 60%. So not just how it sounded, but also how it made the listener feel. 

“We found that psilocybin markedly enhanced the emotional response to music, when compared to the response before taking the drugs.” Explained study lead author Professor Dea Siggaard Stenbaek of Copenhagen University. 

This study marks the continued exploration of psychedelics as a treatment for various forms of mental illness, such as depression, anxiety and addiction issues. Music is already used in many supervised psychedelic therapy sessions. One of the aims of this study was to discover if it actually has a provable effect. And it does!

So How Did They Do It?

Well, the scientists rounded up 20 healthy participants (10 women & 10 men), and tested their emotional response (using the Geneva Emotional Music Scale) before and after being given psilocybin. 14 of the participants were also tested after being given ketanserin — a hypertension drug commonly used as a comparison point for psychedelics. The order of these drugs were given at random, so participants could report their experience of each drug. At the ‘peak’ of the drug experience (i.e. when the effects would be at their strongest) the participants were quizzed on their emotional responses to the music they were being played. 

The music that was played consisted of a short program made up of Elgar’s Enigma Variations no 8 and 9, and Mozart’s Laudate Dominum, which lasted around 10 minutes. It was from these responses that scientists found that psilocybin could enhance the experience of music by that golden 60%. Professor Dea Siggaard stated;

“This shows that combination of psilocybin and music has a strong emotional effect. We believe that this will be important for the therapeutic application of psychedelics if they are approved for clinical use. Psilocybin is under development as a drug to treat depression. This work implies that music needs to be considered as a therapeutic part of the treatment.”

In a pleasing dovetail of elements, a portion of the music the scientists used (Elgars’s 9th, the ‘Nimrod’ variation) was inspired by Elgar’s dear friend Augustus Jaeger. Jaeger had actually encouraged Elgar to compose his variations as a way to help himself out of his own depression. A fitting choice then, indeed! And fascinating to think it could be used to help others suffering with their own depressive symptoms. 

The Next Step Of Research

The next step the scientists are planning is to use an MRI machine to look at the effect of music on the brain while under the influence of psilocybin.

This new research can only increase the efficacy of the burgeoning psychedelic therapy movement. If the full power of music under the influence of psilocybin can be harnessed, who knows how this could improve the results of psychedelic therapy. It’s a mental health revolution — and it sounds great to boot!

Though not involved in the study, one of our fave science guys and psychedelic authority Professor David Nutt had this to say;

“This is further evidence of the potential of using music to facilitate treatment efficacy with psychedelics. What we need to do now is optimize this approach probably through individualizing and personalizing music tracks in therapy.”

Now that really sounds good!

Take Your Own Musical Trip

In the past scientists have compiled the perfect playlist to soundtrack a trip, which we previously reported on.

However, why not get yourself some magic truffles, or harvest that grow kit, and take a trip of your own soundtracked by your favourite tunes. You may just enjoy them 60% more!