Authenticity and Love Drugs: Insights from Psychedelic Therapy.
AJOB neuroscience – June 16, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Many view "love drugs" as unethical because the emotions they create are seen as inauthentic. However, new perspectives, drawing from psychedelic-assisted therapy, suggest that psychoactive drugs can indeed foster genuine, meaningful feelings. If these experiences lead to lasting positive change and and align with personal desires, our ethics around authenticity may need rethinking, embracing the potential for profound therapy.
Abstract
In "Prescription for Love: An Experimental Investigation of Laypeople's Relative Moral Disapproval of Love Drugs," Lantian, Boudesseul, and Cova (2024) explore the moral implications of hypothetical romantic love-enhancing biotechnological interventions. Their study reveals "love drugs" (LDs) are viewed as less acceptable than psychological therapy due to the perceived inauthenticity of the resulting feelings. This highlights the importance of authenticity and naturalness in moral evaluations of emotion. However, we suggest the distinction between organic and artificial experiences is less clear than it seems, and that humans can draw meaning from many situations. Drawing parallels with psychedelic-assisted therapy, we propose emotions from LDs could also be meaningful and authentic, if they foster long-term positive change and align with personal beliefs and desires. Feelings we characterize as natural are also shaped by external stimuli that influence brain function. Where LDs can support transformative, meaningful experiences, they should not be viewed as immoral.