Music has a direct effect on our hormones; it can even be considered a natural antidepressant. This is because certain tunes cause the release of serotonin and dopamine (neurotransmitters) in the brain that lead to increased feelings of happiness and well-being. It also releases norepinephrine, which is a hormone that invokes feelings of euphoria.

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Feelings of happiness and pleasure are intrinsically related to listening to music, as well as they are stimulated by physical exercise, drugs, sex, among other activities. This is why we choose to listen to certain music based on the emotion we want to manifest. Our reliability on music to enhance these experiences are undeniable, and our human desire to further enhance these experiences is just another part of our evolutionary standards. 

Nervana, a San Diego-based startup company, has introduced a new product that aims to enhance these musical experiences in a more natural way than to use, well, drugs. This is through headphones that replicate emotional enhancements by utilizing electrical pulses that trigger the release of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin: the chemicals in the brain that are directly associated with happiness and pleasure.

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Interesting Engineering explains how the headphones work: “Nervana headphones can be plugged into the Nervana Generator or any other music player. While listening to a song using the Nervana Headphones, a low-power electric stimulation is added to the listening experience, creating an electrical pulse synchronized to the beat of music, triggering brain reactions that allow dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin to be released. You can also use the Nervana without music by activating the ‘ambient mode’, capable of producing the same effect only with the sounds detected nearby, which would be great for a music festival, for example.”

So, they can be used with pre-recorded music or in a live setting, and still produce the same results. Eureka! But do they really work?

The headphones were positively received by testers at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. One volunteer reported, “I felt like I reached a personal high point. I couldn’t stop smiling or laughing. I was like, ‘Oh wow’. For about five minutes, my happiness level was a 10 out of 10. Then it got foggier, but I was still unusually happy for about an hour.”

Could this be the replacement for recreational drug use? This is the goal of Nervana’s developers. 

“Taking something that basically poisons our bodies can be deadly, unfortunately, but Nervana can enhance the pleasure of music without any drugs,” said Dr. Daniel Cartledge, one of the MD’s on the company’s founding team. He continues, “I think this could add great entertainment value to music festivals.”

The headphones will be available to order from Nervana’s website later this month, costing a whopping $299 each. Worth it? We think so. Learn more in this video:

[Via Interesting Engineering]