Psychedelics have surged in popularity thanks to their wide range of potential benefits. Compounds like psilocybin and MDMA are being consumed to help ease mental health conditions, and several U.S. states have legalized them for therapeutic use. As it turns out, psychedelics may have unintended advantages that science is still uncovering.
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A new study out of Europe suggests that people who consume small, sub-perceptual amounts of psychedelic drugs (aka microdosing) may be healthier in other aspects of their lives. Researchers surveyed 365 people with experience microdosing a variety of substances, with psilocybin mushrooms being the most prevalent. Roughly 51 percent identified as male, 48 percent as female, and just under 1 percent as non-binary.
Participants were asked a range of questions about changes in their physical and emotional health since they began microdosing. The study’s authors found that people who engaged in the practice reported better sleep and increased levels of exercise. They also tended to report better work-life balance and reduced consumption of other intoxicants, especially alcohol.
The researchers listed no conflicts of interest, though the study has notable limitations. For one, there was no control group for comparison. Participants were recruited from psychedelic-friendly online communities and volunteered to take part in the study. The study’s authors note that volunteers may have been more likely to report positive outcomes, or may not have participated otherwise.
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The data also relied on self-reporting, which can be unreliable due to flawed memory recall or emotional bias. Since the research was not conducted in a clinical setting with a placebo, it is unclear whether the placebo effect played a role in the participants’ experiences.
Despite these limitations, the findings align with other research linking psychedelics to overall health outcomes. A 2021 study found that people who had tried psychedelics were more likely to self-report better overall health and had lower rates of obesity.
The fact that many people use psychedelics to improve well-being, most often mental health, may help explain these unintended but positive health outcomes. While more research is needed to verify these results, drugs like psilocybin and MDMA may ultimately prove to benefit more than just the brain.
