Spontaneous and deliberate creative cognition during and after psilocybin exposure
Translational Psychiatry April 8, 2021 Natasha L. Mason, Kim P. C. Kuypers, Johannes T. Reckweg et al. 132 citations
A double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment with 0.17 mg/kg psilocybin shows that the drug affects creative thinking in time-dependent and task-specific ways. Immediately after consumption, psilocybin increased spontaneous creative insights but decreased deliberate, task-based creativity. Seven days later, participants generated more novel ideas. Brain imaging revealed that both acute and persisting effects were predicted by connectivity within and between networks of the default mode network. These results support historical claims that psychedelics can influence aspects of the creative process and may serve as tools for investigating creativity and its neural basis.