Instru(mental)

Brea Murakami

Want to scientifically enhance your life with music? Every episode of Instru(mental) explores music psychology research and how it shapes your brain, your body, and your life. This podcast isn’t just about what music sounds like, it’s about what music does for you.  Hosted by board-certified music therapist, Brea Murakami.

  1. #20 - This Is Your Musical Brain On Marijuana

    5 HR AGO

    #20 - This Is Your Musical Brain On Marijuana

    Have you ever noticed that music just hits differently when your high? In this episode of Instru(mental), we're diving into the surprisingly sparse, but curious body of research that explains how cannabis changes our musical experiences. Along the way, we'll touch on what mix of THC and CBD might enhance musical reward and what this might mean for clinicians working with people who listen to music under altered states of consciousness. Thank you to the sponsor of today's episode, Daniel Goldschmidt from Etude, LLC! References: Darakjian, L., Glassman, H., Lo, C. Y., & Russo, F. A. (2025). Exploring the interaction between cannabis and music. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1551, 140–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.70010Duggan, P. J. (2021). The chemistry of cannabis and cannabinoids. Australian Journal of Chemistry, 74(6), 369–387. https://doi.org/10.1071/CH21006 Freeman, T. P., Pope, R. A., Wall, M. B., Bisby, J. A., Luijten, M., Hindocha, C., Mokrysz, C., Lawn, W., Moss, A., Bloomfield, M. A. P., Morgan, C. J. A., Nutt, D. J., & Curran, H. V. (2018). Cannabis dampens the effects of music in brain regions sensitive to reward and emotion. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 21(1), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyx082 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2025). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Publication No. PEP25-07-007, NSDUH Series H-60). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt56287/2024-nsduh-annual-national-report.pdf Tart, C. T. (1970). Marijuana intoxication: Common experiences. Nature, 226, 701–704. https://doi.org/10.1038/226701a0 Resources Marijuana Anonymous Support the show

    22 min
  2. #18 - Music as Moral Evidence

    25/09/2025

    #18 - Music as Moral Evidence

    Can music change our moral judgments of others? In this episode, we explore how knowing about someone's, or something's, musicality shifts our moral decision-making. This episode's research study includes four related experiments involving musical monkeys, anti-musical humans, dogs, babies, and robots. Then, we explore what the converging results suggest about music’s impact to shift social attitudes and advocacy efforts related to groups that are often dehumanized, like the homeless community or incarcerated individuals.  Support the show by checking out https://ko-fi.com/breamurakami1. Thank you! References Agrawal, T., Rottman, J., & Schachner, A. (2023). How musicality changes moral consideration: People judge musical entities as more wrong to harm. Psychology of Music, 51(1), 316-336. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356221096507Robison, M., Aderhalden, F.P., & Joiner, T.E. (2024). Dehumanization and the association with nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation in an incarcerated population. Crisis, 45(4), 287-293. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000952Schroeder, J., & Epley, N. (2020). Demeaning: Dehumanizing others by minimizing the importance of their psychological needs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 119(4), 765-791. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000199 Resources WALL-E movie clipTrain to Busan ending movie clip (turn on English subtitles)M3GAN Sings movie clip60 Minutes Clip: Mr. Lopez Meets Mr. AyersInmates Discuss Impact of Music TherapyMusic Therapy for Inmates at Worcester County JailSupport the show

    29 min

About

Want to scientifically enhance your life with music? Every episode of Instru(mental) explores music psychology research and how it shapes your brain, your body, and your life. This podcast isn’t just about what music sounds like, it’s about what music does for you.  Hosted by board-certified music therapist, Brea Murakami.