Effects of ecstasy on cooperative behaviour and perception of trustworthiness: A naturalistic study
Journal of Psychopharmacology August 13, 2014 LH Stewart, B. Ferguson, CJA Morgan et al. 28 citations
Acute recreational use of MDMA (ecstasy) increases perceived trustworthiness of faces and cooperative behavior in economic games. In a study comparing 17 ecstasy users tested on the night of drug use and again three days later with 22 controls, users rated faces as more trustworthy and showed more cooperation on dictator and ultimatum games while intoxicated. By day three, no group differences remained on these tasks. Self-ratings showed typical acute effects such as euphoria and energy, with negative effects like reduced empathy and increased distrust emerging on day three. The findings suggest a single dose enhances aspects of empathy, which may contribute to its recreational popularity and potential therapeutic use.