Effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) on the Time Sense of Normals
A M A Archives of Neurology & Psychiatry – September 01, 1957
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) significantly alters time perception, with 80% of participants reporting experiences of time dilation or distortion. In a study involving 30 healthy individuals, moderate doses of LSD led to perceptions of time slowing down, mirroring experiences reported by schizophrenia patients. This phenomenon aligns with findings that individuals with schizophrenia overestimate short durations, indicating a potential link between LSD's effects and psychotic-like experiences. Such insights contribute to understanding the psychological and temporal perspectives of altered states induced by substances like LSD.
Abstract
Introduction Much of the interest in lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is due to its capacity to produce schizophrenic-like behavior when administered in extremely small quantities. 4,6 Among the reported changes resulting from LSD have been alterations in time perception. DeShon, Rinkel, and Solomon, 1 found changes in the form of experiences of acceleration, retardation, or nonexistence of time, while true disorientation was not observed. The subjects of Hoch, Cattell, and Pennes 3 reported the passage of time as slowed, an experience not uncommon to schizophrenic patients. An objective study of the time sense of schizophrenics 5 indicated that this population overestimates short audible durations to a significantly greater degree than do normal controls. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether moderate to low doses of LSD produce alterations in the time sense of normal subjects in the direction characteristic of schizophrenia, using the same method as reported