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Alternative beliefs in psychedelic drug users
Alexander V Lebedev1,2, Kasim Acar3,4, Otilia Horntvedt3
1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. alexander.lebedev@ki.se.
Psychedelic use is linked to a greater acceptance of alternative facts and the belief that facts are politically influenced. However, psychedelic use did not correlate with favoring intuition over evidence.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Classical psychedelics may induce lasting changes in personality and well-being.
- Concerns exist regarding psychedelics' effects on information processing and factual belief.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between psychedelic use and the acceptance of alternative facts.
- To examine how psychedelic use influences attitudes towards factual data and knowledge.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 392 participants, including 233 with lifetime psychedelic experience, was analyzed.
- Step-wise linear modeling was used to assess the effects of demographics, psychiatric conditions, and drug use.
Main Results:
- Psychedelic use showed a moderate positive association with believing in alternative facts and facts being politically influenced.
- No link was found between psychedelic use and favoring intuition over evidence.
- Alcohol use was negatively associated with beliefs in alternative facts.
Conclusions:
- Psychedelic use is associated with non-conformist thinking styles.
- This association may stem from the drugs' psychological effects or reflect pre-existing unconventional beliefs.
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