Why Music Sounds Better High

It’s no secret that certain songs sound better when you’re stoned. Using cannabis while listening to tunes can have you wondering if that hit from 2003 really is a bop, or if you might need to pass instead of puff! In the name of (stoned) science, elevate your everyday with Nové, open up your Spotify playlist, and do some digging to find out why music sounds better high. 

Stoned Science 

Love bobbing along to the newest trending audio, then dancing to the drum and bass you haven’t heard in years? Imagine elevating that experience to a whole new level – with cannabis.

Not only does cannabis help you slow down and unwind, but it can also add to your listening experience. Research has found that using cannabis and listening to music activate pleasure receptors in the brain and body, like those found in the spinal column and cortex. Cannabis’ CB1 receptors are also ready to fire at a moment’s notice, relaying enjoyment back to the brain. Together, these work in tandem to help your brain make sense of the sounds. 

You don’t have to take our word for it – several scientific studies show that music and cannabis go hand-in-hand. Daniel J. Levitin, professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience and music psychologist at McGill University, explored the reasoning behind why music is better high. In his book The World In Six Songs, he explains: 

THC – the active ingredient – is known to stimulate the brain’s natural pleasure centers, while also disrupting short-term memory. The disruption of short-term memory thrusts listeners into the moment of the music as it unfolds; unable to explicitly keep in mind what has just been played, or to think ahead to what might be played, people stoned on pot tend to hear music from note to note.

Interestingly, cannabis aids in unlocking your brain’s potential for short-term memory. This means that while you’re high, music and sounds can come across as vastly different. There is more to back up these “high-deas” than just our own stoned thoughts.