Psychedelics, Personality and Political Perspectives.

People who have used psychedelics in natural settings tend to hold more liberal and less authoritarian political views, score higher on the personality trait of openness, and feel more connected to nature, even after accounting for other drug use and potential confounders. The degree of ego dissolution during a person's most intense psychedelic experience also predicts these same outcomes. The findings come from an anonymous internet survey of 893 participants who reported their lifetime use of psychedelics, cocaine, and alcohol, and completed measures of personality, nature relatedness, and political attitudes. Cocaine use and weekly alcohol consumption did not show the same associations.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The psychedelic experience (including psychedelic-induced ego dissolution) can effect lasting change in a person's attitudes and beliefs. Here, we aimed to investigate the association between naturalistic psychedelic use and personality, political perspectives, and nature relatedness using an anonymous internet survey. Participants (N = 893) provided information about their naturalistic psychedelic, cocaine, and alcohol use, and answered questions relating to personality traits of openness and conscientiousness (Ten-Item Personality Inventory), nature relatedness (Nature-Relatedness Scale), and political attitudes (one-item liberalism-conservatism measure and five-item libertarian-authoritarian measure). Participants also rated the degree of ego dissolution experienced during their "most intense" recalled psychedelic experience (Ego-Dissolution Inventory). Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that lifetime psychedelic use (but not lifetime cocaine use or weekly alcohol consumption) positively predicted liberal political views, openness and nature relatedness, and negatively predicted authoritarian political views, after accounting for potential confounding variables. Ego dissolution experienced during a participant's "most intense" psychedelic experience positively predicted liberal political views, openness and nature relatedness, and negatively predicted authoritarian political views. Further work is needed to investigate the nature of the relationship between the peak psychedelic experience and openness to new experiences, egalitarian political views, and concern for the environment.