Broadening Your Mind to Include Others - The relationship between serotonergic psychedelic experiences and maladaptive narcissism_PREPRINT

Awe experienced during classical serotonergic psychedelic (CSP) use is linked to lower maladaptive narcissism. In a survey of 414 people, those who reported greater awe during recent CSP experiences also reported stronger feelings of social connectedness and affective empathy, which in turn were associated with less exploitative and entitled narcissistic traits. This pattern held even after accounting for sensation-seeking. Ego dissolution during the experience showed no similar effect. The findings suggest that awe-induced connectedness, not ego loss, may underlie the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for conditions involving impaired empathy and connection, such as pathological narcissism.

Study at a glance

Abstract

RationaleThere has been a recent increase in research showing that classical serotonergic psychedelic (CSP) drugs may be used to ameliorate certain health issues and disorders. Here we hypothesized that CSP experiences, through their ability to induce awe and ego-dissolution, may result in a reduction of maladaptive narcissistic personality traits, such as a strong sense of entitlement and lack of empathy. ObjectivesOur objective was to investigate whether high levels of awe and ego dissolution during recent CSP experiences are associated with current lower levels of maladaptive narcissism.Methods In this pre-registered high-powered (N = 414) study, we used an online survey including several validated scales to test our hypothesis. ResultsA statistically significant mediation model indicated that recent CSP-induced awe experiences were associated with increased feelings of connectedness and affective empathetic drive, which in turn were associated with decreased exploitative-entitled narcissism. This relationship held even when taking into account sensation-seeking personality features. We found no evidence for feelings of ego dissolution during the experience to have the same effect. ConclusionsFeelings of awe, but not ego dissolution, during recent CSP experiences were associated with increased feelings of connectedness and empathy, which in turn were associated with decreased levels of maladaptive narcissism personality features. This suggests that there is a therapeutic potential of CSPs for disorders involving connectedness and empathy, such as the treatment of pathological narcissism and other clinical disorders, and that the induction of connectedness through awe appears to be the driving force behind this potential.