The effect of psilocybin on empathy and prosocial behavior: a proposed mechanism for enduring antidepressant effects.
Kush V. Bhatt, Cory R. Weissman
Npj mental health research February 20, 2024 DOI: 10.1038/s44184-023-00053-8 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, produces lasting antidepressant effects, but its mechanism is unclear. Empathy and prosocial behavior may play a key role. This review examines how psilocybin affects empathy and prosocial behavior and proposes that it initiates a positive feedback loop involving these social processes, which could explain its enduring antidepressant benefits.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Psychedelics Mental health Neuroscience Depression treatment Social cognition |
| Citations | 29 |
| Key finding | Psilocybin may induce a positive feedback loop involving empathy and prosocial behavior that helps explain its enduring antidepressant effects. |
Abstract
Psilocybin is a serotonergic psychedelic shown to have enduring antidepressant effects. Currently, the mechanism for its enduring effects is not well understood. Empathy and prosocial behavior may be important for understanding the therapeutic benefit of psilocybin. In this article we review the effect of psilocybin on empathy and prosocial behavior. Moreover, we propose that psilocybin may induce a positive feedback loop involving empathy and prosocial behavior which helps explain the observed, enduring antidepressant effects.