“Sax for Sex”: A Brief Narrative Review Exploring the Music-Sex Connect

Abstract

Context: The assertion that music has an impact on sexual performance is a popular one. However, music is seldom used in clinical settings for enhancement of sexual problems and little is known regarding its scientific proof. Aim: To explore available literature on: the interplay between sex and music in the human evolution; brain basis for music and sex; and studies using music to therapeutically enhance sexual performance. Conclusions: Evidence suggests an evolutionary basis for the relationship between music and sex. There is converging neurobiological understanding that posits both music and sex to have common brain substrates—the reward pathway, diencephalic structures, limbic system, and prefrontal cortex. Psychological mechanisms hypothesized for a positive role of music in enhancing the act of sex need systematic evaluation. The empirical evidence for the use of music as an adjunct strategy in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions, though positive and encouraging, is still sparse.