Psychedelics, Personality and Political Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Psychopharmacology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Psychedelic experiences, including ego dissolution, can lead to lasting changes in attitudes and beliefs.
• Understanding the impact of naturalistic psychedelic use on personality and political views is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between naturalistic psychedelic use and personality traits, political perspectives, and nature relatedness.
• To explore the role of ego dissolution in these associations.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous internet survey was administered to 893 participants.
• Data collected included psychedelic, cocaine, and alcohol use, personality traits (openness, conscientiousness), nature relatedness, political attitudes, and ego dissolution intensity.
• Multivariate linear regression analysis was employed to analyze the data.

Main Results:

• Lifetime psychedelic use positively predicted liberal political views, openness, and nature relatedness.
• Psychedelic use negatively predicted authoritarian political views, independent of other substance use.
• The degree of ego dissolution experienced during psychedelic use also positively predicted liberal views, openness, and nature relatedness, and negatively predicted authoritarian views.

Conclusions:

• Naturalistic psychedelic use is associated with shifts towards more liberal political views, increased openness, and greater nature relatedness.
• The intensity of the ego dissolution experience is a significant predictor of these changes.
• Further research is warranted to explore the relationship between peak psychedelic experiences and openness, egalitarianism, and environmental concern.