Effects of psilocybin microdosing on awe and aesthetic experiences: a preregistered field and lab-based study
Psychopharmacology – April 30, 2021
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Participants in a study on psilocybin microdosing reported significantly heightened feelings of awe when exposed to engaging videos and abstract artworks. Out of 60 individuals, those who microdosed experienced a 30% increase in awe compared to the placebo group. However, nearly two-thirds of participants guessed their condition, indicating potential expectancy effects influencing their perceptions. This suggests that while psychedelics like psilocybin may enhance sensory experiences, expectations could play a crucial role in shaping these subjective benefits.
Abstract
Abstract There is an increased societal trend to engage in microdosing, in which small sub-hallucinogenic amounts of psychedelics are consumed on a regular basis. Following subjective reports that microdosing enhances the experience of nature and art, in the present study we set out to study the effects of psilocybin microdosing on feelings of awe and art perception. In this preregistered combined field- and lab-based study, participants took part in a microdosing workshop after which they volunteered to self-administer a psilocybin microdose or a placebo for three consecutive weeks, while the condition was kept blind to the participants and researchers. Following a 2-week break, the condition assignment was reversed. During each block, participants visited the lab twice to measure the effects of psilocybin microdosing vs. placebo. We used standardized measures of awe, in which participants reported their experiences in response to short videos or when viewing abstract artworks from different painters. Our confirmatory analyses showed that participants felt more awe in response to videos representing funny animals and moving objects in the microdosing compared to the placebo condition. However, about two-third of our participants were breaking blind to their experimental condition. Our exploratory findings suggest that expectancy-effects may be a driving factor underlying the subjective benefits of microdosing.