Have you ever noticed that music just hits differently when your high? In this episode of Instru(mental), we're diving into the surprisingly sparse, but curious body of research that explains how cannabis changes our musical experiences. Along the way, we'll touch on what mix of THC and CBD might enhance musical reward and what this might mean for clinicians working with people who listen to music under altered states of consciousness. Thank you to the sponsor of today's episode, Daniel Goldschmidt from Etude, LLC!

References:

• Darakjian, L., Glassman, H., Lo, C. Y., & Russo, F. A. (2025). Exploring the interaction between cannabis and music. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1551, 140–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.70010
• Duggan, P. J. (2021). The chemistry of cannabis and cannabinoids. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 74(6), 369–387. https://doi.org/10.1071/CH21006
• Freeman, T. P., Pope, R. A., Wall, M. B., Bisby, J. A., Luijten, M., Hindocha, C., Mokrysz, C., Lawn, W., Moss, A., Bloomfield, M. A. P., Morgan, C. J. A., Nutt, D. J., & Curran, H. V. (2018). Cannabis dampens the effects of music in brain regions sensitive to reward and emotion. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 21(1), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyx082
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2025). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Publication No. PEP25-07-007, NSDUH Series H-60). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt56287/2024-nsduh-annual-national-report.pdf
• Tart, C. T. (1970). Marijuana intoxication: Common experiences. Nature, 226, 701–704. https://doi.org/10.1038/226701a0

Resources

• Marijuana Anonymous

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What can we deduce from hearing less than 1 second of music? Learn how accurately listeners can identify music genres from excerpts that are less than a quarter of a second long, and see how your brain does in a mini version of the experimental task. Our takeaways include how these sophisticated, split-second associations to music sometimes work against our better judgment.

Support the show by checking out https://ko-fi.com/breamurakami1. Thank you!

References

• Mace, S.T., Wagoner, C.L., Teachout, D.J., & Hodges, D.A. (2012). Genre identification of very brief musical excerpts. Psychology of Music, 40(1), 112-128. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735610391347

Song Excerpts

• Classical: Adagio for Strings (Barber), The Planets, Op. 32: IV (Holst), Trois Gymnopedies: I (Satie)
• Country: All I Want to Do (Sugarland), Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven (Kenny Chesney),
• Jazz: In the Mood (Glenn Miller), Take Five (Dave Brubeck), So What (Miles Davis)
• Metal: Troops of Doom (Sepultura), Madhouse (Anthrax)
• Hip-hop: Whatever You Like (T.I.), What Them Girls Like (Ludacris), Got Money (Lil Wayne & T-Pain)

Resources

• The Record: Q1 2025 U.S. Audio Listening Trends
• TokChart.com
• Harmony Healthcare American Phone Usage and Screen Time Statistics

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Can music change our moral judgments of others? In this episode, we explore how knowing about someone's, or something's, musicality shifts our moral decision-making. This episode's research study includes four related experiments involving musical monkeys, anti-musical humans, dogs, babies, and robots. Then, we explore what the converging results suggest about music’s impact to shift social attitudes and advocacy efforts related to groups that are often dehumanized, like the homeless community or incarcerated individuals.

Support the show by checking out https://ko-fi.com/breamurakami1. Thank you!

References

• Agrawal, T., Rottman, J., & Schachner, A. (2023). How musicality changes moral consideration: People judge musical entities as more wrong to harm. Psychology of Music, 51(1), 316-336. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356221096507
• Robison, M., Aderhalden, F.P., & Joiner, T.E. (2024). Dehumanization and the association with nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation in an incarcerated population. Crisis, 45(4), 287-293. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000952
• Schroeder, J., & Epley, N. (2020). Demeaning: Dehumanizing others by minimizing the importance of their psychological needs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 119(4), 765-791. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000199

Resources

• WALL-E movie clip
• Train to Busan ending movie clip (turn on English subtitles)
• M3GAN Sings movie clip
• 60 Minutes Clip: Mr. Lopez Meets Mr. Ayers
• Inmates Discuss Impact of Music Therapy
• Music Therapy for Inmates at Worcester County Jail

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