Skip to content

LSD enhances the emotional response to music.

Mendel Kaelen, Frederick S. Barrett, Leor Roseman, R Lorenz, Neiloufar Family, Mark Bolstridge, Hv Curran, Amanda Feilding, D J Nutt, R L Carhart-Harris

Psychopharmacology October 2015 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4014-y (opens in new tab)

Read Full Text
Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Placebo-controlled within-subject experimental study Peer reviewed
Sample size 10
Population Healthy volunteers
Intervention LSD
Duration Two study days separated by 5-7 days
Measures visual analogue scale (VAS), Geneva Emotional Music Scale (GEMS-9)
Topics LSD
Key findings LSD enhanced the emotional response to instrumental music compared with placebo, especially the emotions "wonder", "transcendence", "power" and "tenderness". The authors state this reinforces the long-held assumption that psychedelics enhance music-evoked emotion and provides tentative, indirect support for using this effect in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

Abstract

There is renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). LSD was used extensively in the 1950s and 1960s as an adjunct in psychotherapy, reportedly enhancing emotionality. Music is an effective tool to evoke and study emotion and is considered an important element in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy; however, the hypothesis that psychedelics enhance the emotional response to music has yet to be investigated in a modern placebo-controlled study. The present study sought to test the hypothesis that music-evoked emotions are enhanced under LSD. Ten healthy volunteers listened to five different tracks of instrumental music during each of two study days, a placebo day followed by an LSD day, separated by 5-7 days. Subjective ratings were completed after each music track and included a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the nine-item Geneva Emotional Music Scale (GEMS-9). Results demonstrated that the emotional response to music is enhanced by LSD, especially the emotions "wonder", "transcendence", "power" and "tenderness". These findings reinforce the long-held assumption that psychedelics enhance music-evoked emotion, and provide tentative and indirect support for the notion that this effect can be harnessed in the context of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Further research is required to test this link directly.

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on LSD, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases Patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases 2014 Randomized controlled trial n = 12
Dose-Response Study of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in Humans Experienced hallucinogen users 1994 Double-blind, saline placebo-controlled, randomized study n = 12
Acute Effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Subjects Healthy subjects (8 women, 8 men) 2014 Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study n = 16
Changes in global and thalamic brain connectivity in LSD-induced altered states of consciousness are attributable to the 5-HT2A receptor Healthy human participants 2018 Double-blind, randomized, counterbalanced, cross-over study n = 24
LSD-induced entropic brain activity predicts subsequent personality change. Healthy adults 2016 Balanced-order, placebo-controlled study n = 19

Citations in the library

Cited by 124

and 119 more in the library

Cites 23

and 18 more in the library

Related reading

Explore topics

LSD Psychedelic-assisted therapy