Endorsement of metaphysical idealism mediates a link between past use of psychedelics and wellbeing
Jussi Jylkkä, Andreas Krabbe, Patrick Jern
Scientific Reports June 10, 2024 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63687-4 via OpenAlex
Summary
The study found that Idealism, a specific type of metaphysical belief, mediates the relationship between past psychedelic use and wellbeing. In a survey of 701 participants with prior experience of classical psychedelics, Idealism was associated with psychological insight and predicted wellbeing. Non-Physicalist Beliefs and Materialism did not serve as significant mediators. The findings suggest that not all metaphysical beliefs are linked to wellbeing through psychedelics, highlighting the unique role of Idealism.
Study at a glance
| Design | cross-sectional survey |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 701 |
| Population | participants with past experience of classical psychedelics |
| Key finding | Idealism specifically mediates the link between the use of psychedelics and wellbeing. |
Abstract
It has been proposed that psychedelics promote wellbeing through spiritual-type transformations, involving changes in metaphysical beliefs. Past empirical research shows a link between the use of psychedelics and the endorsement of non-physicalist metaphysical beliefs. However, non-physicalist beliefs encompass a wide range of metaphysical ideas, and their links to wellbeing and psychedelics use remain unclear. We utilized a cross-sectional Internet survey to probe the metaphysical beliefs of participants (N = 701) with past experience of classical psychedelics, using a novel 42-item questionnaire (Core Metaphysical Beliefs, CMB), encompassing a wide range of metaphysical beliefs. Factor analysis of CMB revealed two factors, Idealism and Materialism. In network analyses, Idealism was linked to psychological insight in a past psychedelic experience (E = 0.24) and average use of psychedelics (E = 0.16), and predicted wellbeing (Es = 0.13 and 0.22). Mediation analyses showed an indirect link from past psychedelics use through Idealism to wellbeing (ps ≤ .005). Non-Physicalist Beliefs or Materialism were not significant mediators. The results indicate that Idealism specifically, not non-physicalist beliefs generally, mediate a link between the use of psychedelics and wellbeing. Future research is required to establish whether the link is causal, and to understand what the Idealism factor means.