Cannabis users report changes in music enjoyment in retrospective study
A study from Toronto Metropolitan University examines a long-held belief among cannabis users about music enjoyment. It asked people to recall their experiences, providing evidence about their perceptions rather than a controlled test of whether cannabis improves hearing. The researchers investigated how cannabis users describe listening to music while high.
Participants described emotional connections and changes in perceived sensitivity to sound. These reports help researchers understand subjective experiences, but they do not establish an improvement in measured hearing ability or prove that cannabis caused the reported differences.
Key Findings of the Study
The retrospective study included an online questionnaire completed by 104 participants and optional interviews with 15 selected participants. Respondents recalled their experiences while sober. The findings below therefore describe self-reports, rather than hearing tests performed under controlled cannabis and placebo conditions:
- The preprint reports that 50% described better hearing sensitivity in response to that survey question; this was a subjective judgement, not an objective hearing measurement.
- Participants described heightened emotional sensitivity as part of their music experience.
- Participants reported greater absorption in music, and 45% selected music listening as their preferred activity among the options presented while high.
- Interview accounts included greater perceived awareness of sounds even when listeners did not believe the volume had changed.
Altered Cognitive Processes
The interviews explored how participants remembered changes in their attention and interpretation of music.
Many noticed they paid more attention to musical details like lyrics and rhythm. One person said they often ignored music when sober. But, with cannabis, music became their main focus.
Some participants associated this deeper focus with new interpretations of familiar songs. They described finding different meanings and feeling a stronger connection to the music, including hearing scales and melodies in new ways.
Emotional and Sensory Effects
Participants described music as more immersive or emotional in some of their experiences with cannabis. Familiar songs could seem new, with recalled emotions ranging from nostalgia to shame. These accounts reflect individual experiences rather than a uniform effect.
Some participants reported feeling more absorbed in the music and focusing closely on the sounds during these listening experiences.
The accounts also varied: some participants described sensory overload, while others recalled greater clarity in particular sounds. The study does not establish that the experience is consistently positive.
A Historical and Contemporary Understanding
The authors discuss their findings alongside earlier research dating back to the 1970s. Combining interviews with survey responses gives complementary perspectives on the reported experiences. It does not remove the limitations of retrospective self-reporting or establish causation.
The study is a starting point for further research. It highlights the complex relationship between cannabis, music, and hearing. The findings suggest more studies are needed to fully understand these interactions.
Personal Perspective
I find it valuable that researchers are examining experiences cannabis users have described for years. This study gives those accounts a more structured analysis, while reminding us to distinguish a reported experience from experimentally established changes in hearing or music perception.
The work raises useful questions about attention, emotion and sound, including experiences that people found enjoyable or overwhelming. Controlled research would help clarify how these reports relate to the substance, expectations, individual differences and the listening environment.
