Both MDMA and methamphetamine increase feelings of connectedness during casual conversations with an unfamiliar partner, and both drugs raise oxytocin levels. However, only after MDMA are oxytocin levels linked to feeling closer to the partner. The study involved 18 participants given MDMA or placebo and 19 given methamphetamine or placebo. These results reveal a new aspect of MDMA's pro-social effects and show that methamphetamine produces a similar behavioral effect, though through a different biological pathway.
MDMA produces a moderate-to-large increase in self-reported feelings of sociability—such as feeling loving, talkative, and friendly—according to a meta-analysis of 27 placebo-controlled studies involving 592 participants. The overall effect size was d = 0.86, indicating a substantial boost in sociability-related outcomes. This finding suggests MDMA could have powerful implications for social interactions and clinical settings, such as in psychotherapy. The analysis highlights the need for larger experimental studies and further investigation into the mechanisms linking MDMA to enhanced social connection.
MDMA increases feelings of trust in the social world beyond specific interaction partners in a lab setting. The findings align with user reports of generalized social well-being effects and suggest that MDMA may have clinical value from a social psychological perspective.