Personalised Perception: The Effect of Personality on the Sensory Effects of Psychedelics.
Drug Alcohol Rev July 1, 2026 Alexander Boardman, Jai Whelan, Ryan D. Ward
Personality traits correlate with the intensity of specific sensory distortions and hallucinations experienced during psychedelic use, even after accounting for setting, dose, and demographics. In a survey of 426 psychedelic users from New Zealand, traits measured by the five-factor IPIP-NEO-60 and the Tellegen Absorption Scale were significantly associated with the intensity of eight distortions: visual trails, objects appearing to breathe, field-of-vision changes, visual acuity changes, taste hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, experiences of other dimensions, and synaesthesia. The associations were moderate in strength, suggesting personality testing could help predict acute reactions to psychedelics and inform clinical treatment approaches.