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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   3617 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 10, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

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Could you use psychoactive mood boosting substances to generate positive memories where music is playing in the background then use that same music to retrieve the enhanced mood when sober?

If you consistently listen to a certain album while on LSD, you can fairly reliably trigger flashbacks by playing it later on when sober (though the effect diminishes and needs "recharging" over time if it becomes too associated with being sober yet wanting to be on acid).

That's very interesting, and I suspect this effect is strongest with psychedelics. I was able to achieve this effect to a lesser extent with an anti-anxiety drug. Listening to the song can bring me closer to the anti-anxiety effect than I can normally reach sober.

2 other interesting observations I had about this effect:

  • Just thinking about the song can sometimes cause me to recall the anti-anxiety mood without needing to actually listen to the song.
  • One time I was able to imbue a song with a powerful realization when listening to that song on an anti-anxiety drug. Now every time I hear the song I also recall the realization:

The song was about deciding what paths in life to take and I happened to recall the HPMOR quote when listening to it:

You couldn't leave your home planet while it still contained a place like Azkaban.

You had to stay and fight.

Now the song and that quote are linked in my memory. It motivates me to fight against the salient injustices in today's world.

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