How psychedelic researchers’ self-admitted substance use and their association with psychedelic culture affect people’s perceptions of their scientific integrity and the quality of their research
Public Understanding of Science December 25, 2020 Matthias Forstmann, Christina Sagioglou 44 citations
Across three studies with 952 total participants, admitting personal use of psychedelics lowered people's ratings of a researcher's integrity—how unbiased, professional, and honest they seemed—but did not affect judgments of the research's quality or value. However, when a researcher presented at a conference with social activities stereotypically linked to psychedelic culture, participants rated the research itself as less valid, true, and unbiased. This negative effect on perceived research quality occurred only among participants who had never used psychedelics themselves.