Human enhancement modalities: Microdosing psychedelics
Human Enhancement Drugs Volume Two January 1, 2026
Microdosing psychedelics—using small doses of substances like psilocybin mushrooms and LSD—has gained attention from scientists, investors, and user communities. Proponents claim it improves cognitive function, mood, creativity, interpersonal relations, and overall wellbeing. The phenomenon is situated within the wider psychedelics renaissance, marked by renewed scientific research, policy debates, and commercial interest. This chapter examines microdosing as an emerging form of human enhancement through drugs, reviewing sociological studies on motivations and approaches for enhancement, emergent harms and risk negotiation, the relationship between enhancement and therapy, and the impact of research, socio-cultural, and legal factors. It discusses implications for the broader study of human enhancement drugs and proposes future research directions.