As any music lover knows, there are many activities that can be improved when accompanied by music. The right soundtrack can make a long run easier, a night out on the town truly memorable, and a day spent powering through work more manageable. And, as you may know, the same can be said of the more sensual activities we get involved with. While it may seem obvious for some that sex can be improved with the perfectly curated playlist, did you ever think about exactly why that is? It goes well beyond the fact that two partners enjoy a particular song or that it represents something of significance of them. There are scientific reasons behind it.
Montreal’s McGill University is one of the leaders when it comes to studying the connection between music and sex, and they have published (at least) two reports on their findings. In the first (per Psychology Today), it was found that music can lead to the release of dopamine in our brains—similar to what happens when you eat good food, watch an entertaining piece of media, or have sex. With that in mind, Elite Daily argued that your brain’s dopamine levels will reach an even higher level if you were to listen to music while having sex. Makes sense, right?
Adding weight to all of that is the other McGill University study that reveals that listening to music can also lead to arousal, among other feelings. So you’re not only feeling increased levels of pleasure but also arousal while listening to music and taking part in some activity (like, um, sex). If the bit about being aroused by music sounds kind of strange, you’re not alone. However, if you are actually aroused when listening to music, you’re also not alone—not by a long shot. Adam and Eve revealed in a new infographic on sex, drugs, and music that 40 percent of the people they surveyed are more turned on by music than their partner’s touch. So, there’s your proof, doubters; people can get more out of music than someone holding their hand or rubbing their shoulders.
Now that there’s some science to it, what about the music these people listen to that is inspiring such feelings? Music streaming service Spotify revealed some of their own findings in this regard, and it appears that there’s a pretty wide variety of preference out there when it comes to “in the bedroom” music.
Oddly enough, the #1 song on the playlist is “anything from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack”—yes, the film starring Patrick Swayze. It’s followed up by some obvious choices, such as Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” and “Let’s Get It On” along with anything from Barry White. The thing is, this report from Spotify is from a few years ago, so it’s only right that tastes have changed, right? Thankfully, yes. In a release from this past Valentine’s Day, Spotify found that people are having sex to music from acts like the xx, Hozier, and Chet Faker, among many others. Now, this drastic change in music more than likely has to do with the people/information Spotify used to write these releases.
So what do you, the reader, think about all of this? Do you listen to music when you’re with a special someone in the bedroom? If so, what do you listen to? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments!
