A new study conducted by researchers from the UK and Australia suggests that a number of people have apparently turned to using digital sounds in an attempt to achieve an effect akin to that produced by the consumption of drugs.
Having examined the Global Drug Survey 2021, which features responses from over 30,000 individuals from 22 countries, the researchers established that 5.3 percent of respondents reported using binaural beats in order to “experience altered states”.
“Respondents most commonly used binaural beats ‘to relax or fall asleep’ (72.2 percent) and ‘to change my mood’ (34.7 percent), while 11.7 percent reported trying ‘to get a similar effect to that of other drugs’”, the study states.
Monica Barratt, social scientist from RMIT University in Australia and lead author of the study, pointed out that this is “very new” and that they “just don't know much about the use of binaural beats as digital drugs", ScienceAlert notes.
"This survey shows this is going on in multiple countries”, she remarked. “We had anecdotal information, but this was the first time we formally asked people how, why, and when they're using them".