Recent research published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology suggests that the use of psychedelic substances does not reliably alter authoritarian political attitudes. These findings contrast with prior reports indicating that psychedelics might make individuals less authoritarian, providing evidence that any such psychological shifts are likely inconsistent and dependent on other unknown factors.
Psychedelics are a class of psychoactive substances that can induce profound changes in perception, mood, and cognitive processes. Common examples include psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, and lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD. These drugs interact with the brain’s serotonin system, which helps regulate mood and human perception.
By stimulating specific serotonin receptors, these substances are thought to increase neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself, adapt, and form new neural connections. Because of this heightened state of plasticity, the human mind tends to become more open to change and highly sensitive to environmental influences during a psychedelic experience.
Researchers have noted that the psychological outcomes of a psychedelic experience often depend heavily on the context in which the drug is taken. This concept is often referred to as setting. The setting includes the physical space, the social environment, and the presence of guides or therapists who facilitate the experience.
Authoritarian attitudes represent a psychological construct that generally captures a person’s preference for strict obedience to authority, social conformity, and traditional values. Previous small-scale research suggested a potential link between psychedelic use and a decrease in these authoritarian views. For instance, a past pilot study involving patients with treatment-resistant depression found that authoritarianism scores dropped after psilocybin therapy.
But that earlier research relied on small sample sizes and lacked randomized control groups, which limited the strength of the conclusions. To better understand this relationship, scientists aimed to re-evaluate the effects of psychedelics on political views using larger participant pools and more robust experimental designs.
Lead study author Otto Simonsson explained the inspiration behind revisiting this topic. “This project actually has a fairly long history,” he said. “We started in 2019 and it evolved considerably over time. One of our main motivations was to revisit and build on earlier work suggesting that psychedelic use might reduce authoritarian attitudes. Rather than relying on a single study, we wanted to see whether that relationship would hold up across multiple datasets.”
To achieve this, the researchers analyzed data from three separate studies. The first study was a naturalistic observational project involving adults who planned to take psychedelics on their own initiative. Recruitment took place through online advertisements on social media and internet drug forums.
