A 2025 imaging study from the University of Turku and the Turku PET Centre revealed that listening to your favorite music activates the brain’s µ-opioid receptor (MOR) system—the same network that responds to pleasure from food and social connection.

Researchers used both positron emission tomography (PET) and functional MRI (fMRI) scans to measure chemical and neurological responses in participants as they listened to music they loved.

PET tracked the brain’s opioid binding activity, while fMRI identified where the strongest emotional reactions occurred.

Many participants experienced “chills”—a powerful physical and emotional response to music.

The study showed that these sensations corresponded with increased MOR binding, particularly in the nucleus accumbens, a key region in the brain’s reward system.

Participants with naturally higher baseline MOR availability also showed stronger brain activation during listening to music, suggesting that differences in the opioid system may explain why some people are more deeply moved by music than others.

“These results show for the first time directly that listening to music activates the brain’s opioid system,” explains Academy Research Fellow Vesa Putkinen.

“The release of opioids explains why music can produce such strong feelings of pleasure, even though it is not a primary reward necessary for survival or reproduction, like food or sexual pleasure.”

The findings offer insight into music’s emotional impact and point toward potential applications in mood regulation, pain management, and emotional healing.

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Adapted from: Putkinen V, et al. “Pleasurable music activates cerebral µ-opioid receptors: a combined PET-fMRI study,” Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2025 Aug;52(10):3540–3549. doi:10.1007/s00259-025-07232-z