Psychedelic use predicts objective knowledge about climate change via increases in nature relatedness
Christina Sagioglou, Matthias Forstmann
Drug Science Policy and Law January 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1177/20503245221129803 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople who have used psychedelic substances, especially psilocybin, show greater objective knowledge about climate change and more concern about it, partly because they feel more connected to nature. An online survey of 641 international participants assessed lifetime use of 30 psychoactive substances and three pro-environmental measures: nature relatedness, climate change concern, and objective climate knowledge. After controlling for age, education, and other substance use, psychedelic use directly predicted climate knowledge and indirectly predicted both knowledge and concern through nature relatedness. These findings indicate that the link between psychedelics and pro-environmental attitudes is not merely due to bias or stereotypes.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 641 |
| Population | International convenience sample of adults |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Climate change Social psychology Substance use Environmental change |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key finding | Lifetime psychedelic use, particularly psilocybin, predicts objective climate change knowledge directly and indirectly via nature relatedness, and predicts climate change concern indirectly via nature relatedness. |
Abstract
Lifetime psychedelic substance use has previously been linked to nature relatedness and pro-environmental behaviour. Yet, participants’ responses to the self-report measures in these studies may have been affected by stereotypical associations or confirmation bias. We therefore re-examined this link by measuring three pro-environmental dependent variables: nature relatedness, concerns about climate change, and objective knowledge about climate change. Additionally assessing lifetime experience with 30 psychoactive substances, we collected an international convenience sample for an online survey ( n = 641), Controlling for age, educational attainment, and covariation in substance use indicators, psychedelic use (primarily the use of psilocybin) predicted objective knowledge about climate change directly, and indirectly via nature relatedness. Further, it predicted concern about climate change indirectly via nature relatedness. The results suggest that the relationship of psychedelics with pro-environmental variables is not due to psychological biases, but manifests in variables as diverse as emotional affinity towards nature as well as knowledge about climate change.