Authenticity and Love Drugs: Insights from Psychedelic Therapy.

Laypeople morally disapprove of hypothetical love drugs more than psychological therapy because they perceive the resulting feelings as inauthentic. Authenticity and naturalness drive these moral judgments. However, the line between organic and artificial experiences is blurry; emotions from love drugs could be meaningful and authentic if they foster lasting positive change and align with personal values. Natural feelings are also shaped by external stimuli affecting brain function. Where love drugs support transformative experiences, they should not be viewed as immoral.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In "Prescription for Love: An Experimental Investigation of Laypeople's Relative Moral Disapproval of Love Drugs," Lantian, Boudesseul, and Cova (2024) explore the moral implications of hypothetical romantic love-enhancing biotechnological interventions. Their study reveals "love drugs" (LDs) are viewed as less acceptable than psychological therapy due to the perceived inauthenticity of the resulting feelings. This highlights the importance of authenticity and naturalness in moral evaluations of emotion. However, we suggest the distinction between organic and artificial experiences is less clear than it seems, and that humans can draw meaning from many situations. Drawing parallels with psychedelic-assisted therapy, we propose emotions from LDs could also be meaningful and authentic, if they foster long-term positive change and align with personal beliefs and desires. Feelings we characterize as natural are also shaped by external stimuli that influence brain function. Where LDs can support transformative, meaningful experiences, they should not be viewed as immoral.