Can psychedelics make you a more moral person? New study explores the link

Recent research has found that individuals who had meaningful psychedelic experiences tended to report increases in moral expansiveness. In other words, the scope of entities (humans, animals, the environment, etc.) that they considered worthy of moral consideration and protection expanded. The research was published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

Psychedelics are a class of psychoactive substances that alter perception, mood, and various cognitive processes. Common psychedelics include LSD, psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms), and DMT, which are used both recreationally and increasingly in therapeutic settings to address mental health issues.

The use of these substances often leads to experiences that are considered out of the ordinary or transcendental. These experiences are characterized by profound changes in perception, emotion, and thought processes, often accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations. Users frequently report a dissolution of the ego, leading to a sense of oneness with the universe or profound spiritual insights. The intensity and nature of these experiences can vary widely depending on the dose, environment, and individual psychology.

Scientific research suggests that psychedelic experiences can have lasting positive effects on mental health, including reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, they can also lead to distressing experiences, especially without proper guidance or in unsuitable settings.

Study authors Will Olteanu and Sam G. Moreton aimed to explore the relationship between psychedelic experiences and moral expansiveness. Moral expansiveness refers to the range of entities (humans, animals, the environment) that individuals consider worthy of moral consideration and protection. The researchers hypothesized that individuals who had meaningful psychedelic experiences would report increases in their moral expansiveness.

Study participants included 201 adults who reported consuming at least one dose of a classic psychedelic—such as LSD, N,N-DMT, psilocybin, or mescaline—within the past decade, but not within the two weeks prior to the survey. They completed the study online via Qualtrics and were entered into a raffle to win one of two AUD $100 gift vouchers.

The survey included assessments of ego dissolution (using the Ego-Dissolution Inventory), mystical experiences (using the revised Mystical Experiences Questionnaire), and self-transcendent positive emotions experienced during participants’ psychedelic trips. It also included an assessment of moral expansiveness using the Moral Expansiveness Scale. Participants completed the moral expansiveness assessment twice: once by recalling a time in their life before the meaningful psychedelic experience, and again referring to their current life.

Results showed that a large proportion of participants reported strong self-transcendent emotions during their psychedelic experience. On average, participants’ moral expansiveness scores were higher after their psychedelic experience compared to before. Those who reported more intense ego dissolution and mystical experiences tended to show greater increases in moral expansiveness.

“This study provides preliminary evidence that meaningful psychedelic experiences are associated with an increase in moral expansiveness. These findings underscore the transformative potential of psychedelic experiences on moral cognition, suggesting that specific experiences during and after psychedelic use play a crucial role in this process,” the study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on individual experiences with psychedelics. However, it is important to note that the study’s design does not allow for causal conclusions to be drawn. Additionally, all data were based on participants’ recollections, including their assessments of moral expansiveness before and after the psychedelic experience. This introduces the potential for recall bias to have influenced the results.

The paper, “Meaningful Psychedelic Experiences Predict Increased Moral Expansiveness,” was authored by Will Olteanu and Sam G. Moreton.