Are Sex And Drugs And Rock n’ Roll Really Connected?

The phrase “Sex and drugs and Rock n’ Roll” has seemingly been around forever. In fact, Ian Drury even wrote a song with that title way back in 1977. We’ve heard the phrase so much now that we assume it’s correct, but are the ” Big 3″ really connected? Well, according to a new study published in the Human Ethology Bulletin by Marissa Harrison of Penn State Harrisburg, sex, drugs and Rock n’ Roll indeed do go together, but only under certain circumstances.

If you’re a musician, there’s no question about the connection as anyone who’s ever played in a band knows. The researchers verified that notion as they found that female rock musicians were five times more likely to have reported having sex with a short-term partner, while male rock musicians were more than four times likely to have tried stimulants and more than twice as likely as others to have tried hallucinogens.

But what about the average person?

It turns out that the heavier the music, the more likely the SDRR connection for both male and female consumers. Those who enjoyed “hard” music such as punk, metal, techno, and rap were more likely to have higher scores on the measures of sex and drugs.

According to the study, “In terms of ethology, interestingly, this mimics that which we might see in birds. Male birds commonly produce music (i.e., birdsong), and female birds judge those male birds by their songs. Evidence suggests female birds like complex and rapid birdsong. It sounds like the bird equivalent of heavy metal!”

The survey included 181 men and 286 women, which the researchers admitted was a small sample size and only enough to draw a preliminary conclusion. It also included more college students that professional musicians, which indicated that a follow-up study was needed.

While scientists may look for real data about the connection, those of us in the music business know that sex and drugs and Rock n’ Roll are pretty much made for each other, at least when you’re young. To those of you experiencing the Big 3 now, enjoy it while you can.