Psychedelics change our conscious experience of the world – that is part of their attraction. Now a new study out of John Hopkins Medicine has analysed data on attributions of consciousness to other animals and innate objects by those using psychedelics and how this changes over time.
The study analysed data from 1,606 people who had had a belief-changing psychedelic experience. What they noticed was a large increase in attributions of consciousness to other animals, such as insects, but also to plants, inanimate natural objects, and inanimate manmade objects. Not surprisingly the largest consciousness attribution was for animals, e.g. 57% attributed consciousness to insects compare to only 15% with inanimate manmade objects.
What is surprising is that these changes persisted over time with the average experience being 8 years previously. This shows that part of the experience of these psychedelics and in line with descriptions of the impacts (of the world coming to life) is related to attributions of consciousness.
Of note is that this can change with a single psychedelic experience!
Reference:
Sandeep M. Nayak, Roland R. Griffiths.
A Single Belief-Changing Psychedelic Experience Is Associated With Increased Attribution of Consciousness to Living and Non-living Entities.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2022; 13
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.852248
More Quick Hits
We’re Bad at Remembering How Happy We Were
The past ain’t always better – according to this latest research at least…
100 Years of Research Reveal the Most Effective Methods for Learning
New technologies, new research? No, the old methods are the best, and it’s surprisingly simple.
Why Too Much Talent May Harm Performance
This may sound like a strange thing to say – but talent and team coordination are different things…
How Nutrition Can Increase Motivation – In the Brain
Fascinating study on how antioxidants (and therefore also nutrition) in the brain can increase motivation…
Mindfulness Intervention as Effective as Drugs in Anxiety Disorders
An important study showing how mindfulness is as effective as medication – without the side effects…
New Insights into How the Teenage Brain Develops
Teenagers’ brains go through substantial changes – and now we know more of some of these…
Screen Time Boosts Wellbeing in Teenagers!
Screen time is considered a modern technological evil – maybe not so for teenagers…
Taking Photographs of Slides Improves Memory of Presentations
Taking pictures has been shown to reduce memory – but this study shows the opposite…
How Your Brain Eats Itself – To Improve Memory
Your brain eats itself – gruesome eh! Actually this appears to be a good thing most of the time…
A Regular Routine Makes You Happier and Smarter
Recent research just published shows that a regular routine with plenty of activity protects against depression and preserves cognitive function!