Why stars like David Bowie turn to sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll: Music acts on the brain in the same way as addictive pleasures

Researchers blocked pleasure-boosting opioids in test subjects' brains
With these blocked the researchers no longer enjoyed their favourite songs
The study suggests those who have a deep passion for music could be more likely to get a deeper pleasure from sex, recreational drugs or food

Published: 08:02 EST, 8 February 2017 | Updated: 08:03 EST, 8 February 2017

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The sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll lifestyle is a rock star cliche as old as music itself.

Stars like David Bowie, Keith Richards and Robbie Williams embody the myth of the hedonistic rock star.

Now, scientists have discovered where this historic link might come from.

Researchers have found that the part of our brains that enjoys music is intrinsically linked to the part that feels pleasure from sex, recreational drugs, and food.

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Scientists may have finally discovered the link between musical pleasure and the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll lifestyle. Stars like Robbie Williams (right) and David Bowie (left) embody the myth of the hedonistic rock star

SEX, DRUGS AND RELIGION?

Religious and spiritual experiences activate the brain reward circuits in the same way as hedonistic pursuits such as taking drugs, gambling and listening to music, according to research published last year.

Researchers from the University of Utah found that spiritual feelings stimulated the nucleus accumbens – a brain region associated with processing reward and which is known to play a role in addiction.

Based on fMRI scans of devout Mormons, the researchers found that powerful spiritual feelings were associated with activity in the area of the brain associated with processing reward.

Researchers from McGill University in Montreal found a connection between pleasure-boosting opioids in the brain and enjoyment in music.

Those who have a deep passion for music could be more likely to get a deeper pleasure from sex, recreational drugs or food.

'This is the first demonstration that the brain's own opioids are directly involved in musical pleasure,' says cognitive psychologist Dr Daniel Levitin, senior author of the paper.

Dr Levitin's team sporadically blocked opioids in test subjects' brains using naltrexone, a widely prescribed drug for treating addiction disorders.

The team then measured test subjects' responses to music and found that even their favourite songs failed to trigger a positive response.

'The impressions our participants shared with us after the experiment were fascinating,' Dr Levitin said.

'One said: "I know this is my favourite song but it doesn't feel like it usually does."

'Another: "It sounds pretty, but it's not doing anything for me."'

Activities that people enjoy, including having sex, taking drugs and eating fast food, can lead to addictive behaviours that harm lives and relationships.

Understanding the chemical roots of pleasure in the brain has therefore been a key goal for neuroscience research for decades.

Researchers found a connection between opioids in the brain and enjoyment in music. This image shows Keith Richards (left), Brian Jones (centre) and Mick Jagger (right) of the Rolling Stones after Jones narrowly avoided a jail sentence for possession of cannabis

But scientists have only recently developed the tools to explore the relationship between pleasure and addiction.

Still, this study proved to be 'the most involved, difficult and Sisyphean task our lab has undertaken in 20 years of research, Dr Levitin says.

'Anytime you give prescription drugs to college students who don't need them for health reasons, you have to be very careful to ensure against any possible ill effects.'

For example, all 17 participants were required to have had a blood test within the year preceding the experiment, to ensure they didn't have any conditions that would be made worse by the drug.

Music's universality and its ability to deeply affect emotions suggest an evolutionary origin.

The new findings 'add to the growing body of evidence for the evolutionary biological substrates of music,' the researchers write.

The research was published today in the Nature journal 'Scientific Reports'.