Politically Salient Events May Modulate Effects of Naturalistic Psychedelic Use on Support for Partisan Violence

Naturalistic psychedelic use on politically salient dates like the Fourth of July may shift support for partisan violence in directions tied to the event's political meaning. In a longitudinal observational study of 21,990 US adults, 12,345 completed follow-up surveys; 505 reported psychedelic use during the two-month period. Those whose most intense psychedelic experience occurred on the Fourth of July showed decreased support for partisan violence, with a similar pattern for the Trump assassination attempt date. Conversely, experiences on national party convention dates or closer to Election Day were associated with increased support for partisan violence. The broader sociocultural context appears to modulate these outcomes.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: Previous research indicates that psychedelics may produce outcomes that are dependent on the immediate context. Recent scholarship hypothesizes that such outcomes may also depend on the broader sociocultural context, but empirical data are lacking. Methods: Using a longitudinal observational research design with a large sample of US adults ( N = 21,990) followed during a 2-month study period, we investigated associations between naturalistic psychedelic use on dates of politically salient events such as the Fourth of July (i.e., US Independence Day) and changes in support for partisan violence. Results: Of the 21,990 participants who completed the survey at baseline, 12,345 completed the survey at follow-up. Among the participants who completed the survey at follow-up, 505 reported psychedelic use during the two-month study period, with 19 having had the most intense psychedelic experience on the Fourth of July and 486 having had the most intense psychedelic experience on another date. The primary analyses showed an association between having had the most intense psychedelic experience on the Fourth of July and decreased support for partisan violence, with exploratory analyses yielding a similar association for the date of the Trump assassination attempt. By contrast, other exploratory analyses showed that having had the most intense psychedelic experience on any of the dates of the national party conventions or on a date closer to Election Day was associated with increases in support for partisan violence. Conclusions: Taken together, the results suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use on the Fourth of July and other dates of politically salient events may modulate support for partisan violence in directions that depend on the political nature of the events. While future replications are needed to validate these findings, it appears the broader sociocultural context could influence outcomes following naturalistic psychedelic use.