[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #799: Are digital drugs a thing?

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OPLIN 4Cast #799: Are digital drugs a thing?
April 20th, 2022

[image: Equalizer] I've admitted to being a TikTok addict publicly, and one
of the types of content that TikTok's algorithm will periodically pop up
for me is that of digital sounds that allegedly "do something." If I
listen, I will purportedly relax, feel less stress or perhaps experience
something else. I haven't really paid much attention to these, and have
usually just scrolled on by. But a recent news story has made me wonder if
there's something to these. Are "digital drugs" a real thing? As it turns
out...yes.

   -
   - People Are Experimenting With 'Digital Drugs' Delivered Via Sound...
   And It's Weird
   <https://www.sciencealert.com/some-people-are-mixing-their-psychedelics-with-digital-drugs-and-it-s-all-a-bit-weird?utm_source=tldrnewsletter>
   [Science Alert] "The phenomenon of binaural beats itself isn't new, first
   appearing in the literature as far back as the mid-19th century. But thanks
   to the ease with which people can now spin a trippy tempo made of
   conflicting frequencies and share them online, binaural beats are becoming
   an increasingly popular art form."
   - What are ‘binaural beats’ and do they affect our brain?
   <https://theconversation.com/what-are-binaural-beats-and-do-they-affect-our-brain-180235>
   [The Conversation] "The perceptual auditory illusion created by binaural
   beats occurs when two pure tones of slightly different frequencies are
   presented to each ear. These two tones are then processed within our brains
   to sound like a third frequency. This third frequency is thought to produce
   a range of effects, including relaxation and attentiveness."
   - I tried getting high on binaural beats so you don’t have to
   <https://thespinoff.co.nz/irl/12-04-2022/i-tried-getting-high-on-binaural-beats-so-you-dont-have-to>
   [The Spinoff] "While I never got high, the hours of listening to low and
   throbbing frequencies were fantastic for productivity. I don’t know if it
   was because my mind was desperate to throw itself at anything else, or if
   I’d tapped into some kind of gamma-wave
   <https://www.healthline.com/health/gamma-brain-waves#what-are-they> megamind
   mode. I renewed my car rego, did all my homework, cut down my Nutri-Grain
   intake and started running 5k every day."
   - People Are Seeking 'Altered States' With 'Digital Drugs,' Says New
   Study
   <https://www.newsweek.com/people-seeking-altered-states-digital-drugs-new-study-1693862>
   [Newsweek] "They found that out of the 30,000 individuals surveyed from 22
   countries, about five percent reported listening to binaural beats at least
   once this year. Most of these users were in their late teens or early
   twenties."

*From the Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - The Efficacy of Binaural Beats as a Stress-buffering Technique
   <https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=awh&AN=151864083&site=ehost-live>
   (Kelton, K., Weaver, T. L., Willoughby, L., Kaufman, D., & Santowski, A.
   (2021). The Efficacy of Binaural Beats as a Stress-buffering
Technique. *Alternative
   Therapies in Health & Medicine*, *27*(4), 28–33.)
   - Beat Anxiety With Sound
   <https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sch&AN=148416984&site=ehost-live>
   (CHENOWETH, H. (2021). Beat Anxiety With Sound. (cover story).
   *Prevention*, *73*(3), 28.)
   - Healthcare Performance and the Effects of the Binaural Beats on Human
   Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
   <https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=35170254&site=ehost-live>
   (Carter, C. (2008). Healthcare Performance and the Effects of the Binaural
   Beats on Human Blood Pressure and Heart Rate. *Journal of Hospital
   Marketing & Public Relations*, *18*(2), 213–219.)

------------------------------
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