The science of hedonismThe science of hedonism
All In The Mind
Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n' roll. It’s a winning trifecta—no matter what the potential dangers are. Hear about the discovery of LSD, and the wide-ranging effects that music has on our brain.
29:20•11 Jun 2017
Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll: Why Pleasure Runs the Human Brain
Episode Overview
- Sex, drugs and music are presented as central to what it means to be human, not just as sinful or trivial pastimes.
- Studies of the somatosensory cortex show how genitals and other body parts occupy disproportionate space in the brain’s map of feeling.
- Research on sexual arousal suggests that diversity is the norm and that mind–body responses in sexuality can be complex and mismatched.
- Many plant-based drugs were identified long before the neurotransmitters they mimic, highlighting how chemicals like nicotine and morphine helped reveal brain chemistry.
- LSD and other psychedelics are described as powerful double-edged swords, with both therapeutic potential and serious risks that demand careful, informed use.
“Most fun things in life are bad for you, but nothing will kill you faster than having no fun at all.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? Here, the focus shifts to why humans chase pleasure so fiercely, even when we know it can hurt us. The episode looks at sex, drugs and music as a "crucial components of the human condition", rather than just a naughty trio. Science writer Zoe Cormier joins host Lynne Malcolm to unpack the biology and psychology behind hedonism.
Growing up as a "backstage baby" with a rock-promoter dad, Zoe later studied zoology and dived into hundreds of research papers for her book *Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll: The Science of Hedonism and the Hedonism of Science*. Her mum’s verdict on all that research?
"Most fun things in life are bad for you, but nothing will kill you faster than having no fun at all." You’ll hear about how sex lights up around 30 different regions of the brain and why the map of our sensory cortex gives genitals prime neural real estate. Zoe describes studies where people climax inside MRI scanners and explains research showing that "diversity is the norm" in human sexuality, with mind and body responses that don’t always neatly match.
Drugs get a scientific treatment too. Plants, Zoe notes, use chemicals like nicotine and cocaine to push animals around, and humans have essentially hijacked those substances for pleasure. She links plant drugs to the discovery of neurotransmitters and walks through the strange history of LSD—from Albert Hofmann’s accidental bike trip to CIA experiments and modern brain scans showing an "explosion of communication" between normally separate brain networks.
Music, Zoe’s favourite topic, is framed as the most brain-hungry pleasure of all, engaging more regions than sex, drugs or maths and touching everything from the cerebellum to the brain stem. Threaded through is a clear warning: every drug is a "double-edged sword" that "can harm and it can heal". Rather than denying our urges, Zoe argues for making friends with them in a "responsible and educated" way.
How might rethinking pleasure change how you approach fun—and risk—in your own life?
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