 <p class="lead" id="first">A binaural beat is an illusionary tone created by the brain when presenting two tones separately to each ear that slightly differ in their frequency.</p><p>It's claimed binaural beats can have a psychoactive effect on the brain, although there's limited research on their efficacy and safety.</p><p>Now a new study published in <em>Drug and Alcohol Review</em> has captured how and why people use the tones.</p><p>Data comes from the <em>Global Drug Survey 2021</em>, which drew on responses from more than 30,000 people in 22 countries.</p><p>Respondents mainly used binaural beats to relax or fall asleep (72%) and to change their mood (35%), while 12% reported trying to get a similar effect to that of psychedelic drugs.</p><p>The study's lead author, Dr Monica Barratt of RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, said the latter motivation was more commonly reported among those who used classic psychedelics.</p><p>"Much like ingestible substances, some binaural beats users were chasing a high," she said.</p><p>"But that's far from their only use. Many people saw them as a source of help, such as for sleep therapy or pain relief."</p><p>The audio tracks are often named for their intended use -- everything from mindfulness and meditation to tracks named after ingestible drugs like MDMA and cannabis.</p><p>The survey revealed binaural beat users were more likely to be younger and to report recent use of all prohibited drugs, compared to rest of the sample.</p><p>Most respondents sought to connect with themselves or something bigger than themselves through the experience.</p><p>The use of binaural beats to experience altered states was reported by 5% of the total sample.</p><p>In the United States 16% of respondents said they'd tried it, while in Mexico and Brazil countries reported use was also above average at 14% and 11.5% respectively.</p><p>Video streaming sites like YouTube and Vimeo were the most popular way to listen, followed by Spotify and other streaming apps.</p><p>Barratt said the illusionary tones had been accessible for more than a decade, but their popularity had only recently begun to grow.</p><p>"It's very new, we just don't know much about the use of binaural beats as digital drugs," she said.</p><p>"This survey shows this is going on in multiple countries.</p><p>"We had anecdotal information, but this was the first time we formally asked people how, why and when they're using them."</p><p>Barratt said the binaural beats phenomenon challenges the overall definition of a drug.</p><p>"We're starting to see digital experiences defined as drugs, but they could also be seen as complementary practices alongside drug use," she said.</p><p>"Maybe a drug doesn't have to be a substance you consume, it could be to do with how an activity affects your brain."</p><p>Despite binaural beat listeners being younger, Barratt said they're not necessarily a gateway to the use of ingestible drugs.</p><p>"In the survey, we found most people who listen were already using ingestible substances," she said.</p><p>"But that doesn't discount the need for more research, particularly to document and negate possible harms."</p><p>On the flipside, Barratt said perhaps binaural beats could be used as a therapy method, alongside traditional treatment.</p><p>"Evidence is mounting but it's still unclear, which is why more research is needed into any possible side effects," she said.</p><p>Although the Global Drug Survey is a non-representative sample, the self-reported use of binaural beats as digital drugs by respondents sets the course for more targeted research.</p><p>'Who uses digital drugs? An international survey of 'binaural beat' consumers', with co-authors Monica Barratt, Alexia Maddox, Naomi Smith, Jenny Davis, Lachlan Goold, Adam Winstock and Jason Ferris is published in <em>Drug and Alcohol Review</em>.</p>