Climax, dopamine, rhythm. There is an extensive list of terms that are interchangeable between music and sex, so it makes sense that we might question whether music can cause orgasms. The emotional effect of music produces some of the widest range of responses, and so it would be ignorant to say that music doesn’t generate extreme emotions. Sometimes, when the lyrics of a song harmoniously work around the instrumental, it can be addictive, and cause feelings similar to when we orgasm.
Science has something to say about this. The experience of listening to a powerful piece of music can sometimes bring out goosebumps across your arms. This sensation is called frissons and refers to a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear – not dissimilar to orgasm. For me, any song by Phoebe Bridgers is a gut-wrenching, goosebump producing experience.
The experience of listening to a powerful piece of music can sometimes bring out goosebumps across your arms.
The big question is why music can create a response as powerful as physical experiences like touch. According to science, extreme reactions such as this are created from the unpredictable. When a song heads in a direction that we weren’t expecting, it generates an intense bodily reaction that can be overwhelming.
New and emerging terms have come into play such as the ‘eargasm’ to describe an ‘emotional high caused by listening to an exceptional composition’. This idea of a natural high is a valuable one that recognises the euphoric happiness that we can experience whilst listening to music. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have that one song that has creates this response.
So, if you ever feel dissatisfied in the bedroom, get your speaker out and blast music.