Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists

Question

The main claim of this article suggests that "hitting the club and dancing all night to music while surrounded by others can have a positive impact on our wellbeing". The source of this claim comes from the 60 minute documentary made by DJ Kikelomo. Neuroscientist, Daniel Levin and Dr. Julia C. Basso were quoted in this film about positive effects that music has on our brain and body. There are not very reliable sources affirming that clubbing is good for you. I think the main headline of this article is very misleading, due to the fact that it is not clubbing that is good for you, but the positive effects that music has on the brain and body, which should have been said instead of the main headline.

Answer 1

The determination that clubbing is “good for your health”, is not only wildly broad but does not discuss nearly enough of the full picture to prove this statement. Nightlife such as clubbing, partying, raves, etc. are often if not always places where there are large swaths of people on drugs, nightlife itself is so closely associated with drug use that in many circles, you did not party if you were completely sober the whole time. Though of course this is not needed for people to enjoy their evening, the short term intense release of dopamine and serotonin due to alcohol, stimulants, and the environments that make up nightlife which can cause feelings of pleasure and euphoria due to dopamine and serotonin being not unlike the brain’s “reward system” to go into overdrive. The short term boost of dopamine and serotonin does not just lead to the reduction of inhibitions and awareness but also to a long term depletion of these chemicals in the brain; as NCBI states that “Alcohol directly stimulates release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is important in emotional expression, and of the endorphins, natural substances related to opioids, which may contribute to the “high” of intoxication and the craving to drink. Alcohol also leads to increases in the release of dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter that plays a role in motivation and in the rewarding effects of alcohol (Weiss and Porrino 2002)” (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6668884). This reduction in baseline dopamine and serotonin levels can lead to dependency and a toxic relationship with “cutting loose” and partying every once in a while. Though going out and letting loose may be beneficial for mental health, creating a break from things bearing down on you, it should not be abused as a means to escape reality entirely. The culture of waiting until the work week to be over to get highly inebriated and go out and party shows us how many work environments drain not just energy but positive feelings from employees, leading to the desire to go so extreme through drugs and nightlife.