There has been a resurgence of interest in the use of psychoactive drugs, especially
psychedelics, to treat symptoms of anxiety and depression. In addition to relieving
symptoms, these drugs reportedly can also produce lasting changes in personality and
political and religious views, including increased openness and more liberal, more
compassionate, and less authoritarian points of view (
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
,
6
,
7
). Yet, the psychological or neurobiological underpinnings of these changes are poorly
understood. To what extent are these effects the result of expectancies and contextual
factors? Which, if any, of the cognitive or emotional effects of the acute drug experience
lead to lasting changes in values, beliefs, or personal priorities, and why do these
changes tend to occur in the direction of openness and liberality? Further, can these
drug effects shed light on how people acquire and hold beliefs in the first place?To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
- Mystical experiences occasioned by the hallucinogen psilocybin lead to increases in the personality domain of openness.J Psychopharmacol. 2011; 25: 1453-1461
- LSD-induced entropic brain activity predicts subsequent personality change.Hum Brain Mapp. 2016; 37: 3203-3213
- Psychedelics, personality and political perspectives.J Psychoactive Drugs. 2017; 49: 182-191
- Long-lasting subjective effects of LSD in normal subjects.Psychopharmacology. 2018; 235: 535-545
- Effects of psilocybin therapy on personality structure.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2018; 138: 368-378
- Recreational use of psychedelics is associated with elevated personality trait openness: Exploration of associations with brain serotonin markers.J Psychopharmacol. 2019; 33: 1068-1075
- Increased nature relatedness and decreased authoritarian political views after psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.J Psychopharmacol. 2018; 32: 811-819
- The entropic brain: A theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs.Front Hum Neurosci. 2014; 8: 20
- Decreased directed functional connectivity in the psychedelic state.NeuroImage. 2020; 209: 116462
- The effects of MDMA on socio-emotional processing: Does MDMA differ from other stimulants?.J Psychopharmacol. 2016; 30: 1248-1258
- MDMA enhances pleasantness of affective touch.Neuropsychopharmacology. 2020; 45: 217-239
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: April 01, 2021
Accepted:
January 27,
2021
Received in revised form:
January 25,
2021
Received:
January 16,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Society of Biological Psychiatry.
