Sub-Acute Effects of Psilocybin on Empathy, Creative Thinking, and Subjective Well-Being

Natasha L. Mason*, Elisabeth Mischler, Malin Uthaug, Kim P. C. Kuypers

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Creative thinking and empathy are crucial for everyday interactions and subjective well-being. This is emphasized by studies showing a reduction in these skills in populations where social interaction and subjective well-being are significantly compromised (e.g., depression). Anecdotal reports and recent studies suggest that a single administration of psilocybin can enhance such processes and could therefore be a potential treatment. However, it has yet to be assessed whether effects outlast acute intoxication. The present study aimed to assess the sub-acute effects of psilocybin on creative thinking, empathy, and well-being. Participants attending a psilocybin retreat completed tests of creative (convergent and divergent) thinking and empathy, and the satisfaction with life scale on three occasions: before ingesting psilocybin (N = 55), the morning after (N = 50), and seven days after (N = 22). Results indicated that psilocybin enhanced divergent thinking and emotional empathy the morning after use. Enhancements in convergent thinking, valence-specific emotional empathy, and well-being persisted seven days after use. Sub-acute changes in empathy correlated with changes in well-being. The study demonstrates that a single administration of psilocybin in a social setting may be associated with sub-acute enhancement of creative thinking, empathy, and subjective well-being. Future research should test whether these effects contribute to the therapeutic effects in clinical populations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)123-134
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Psychoactive Drugs
Volume51
Issue number2
Early online date26 Feb 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Keywords

  • Convergent thinking
  • creativity
  • divergent thinking
  • empathy
  • life satisfaction
  • psilocybin
  • COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY
  • EMOTIONAL EMPATHY
  • MULTIFACETED EMPATHY
  • NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
  • DOUBLE-BLIND
  • AYAHUASCA
  • LIFE
  • ANXIETY
  • SATISFACTION
  • DISORDER

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