LSD and creativity: Increased novelty and symbolic thinking, decreased utility and convergent thinking
Journal of Psychopharmacology February 1, 2022 Isabel Wießner, Marcelo Falchi-Carvalho, Lucas Oliveira Maia et al. 43 citations
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study gave 24 healthy volunteers 50 micrograms of LSD or an inactive placebo and tested creativity near the drug's peak using multiple tasks. LSD changed creativity in three ways: it increased novelty, surprise, originality, and semantic distances (pattern break); decreased utility, convergent thinking, and marginally elaboration (disorganization); and increased symbolic thinking and ambiguity (meaning). The findings suggest LSD shifts cognitive resources away from normal patterns toward new ones, and that LSD-induced symbolic thinking might aid psychedelic-assisted therapy.