Personalised Perception: The Effect of Personality on the Sensory Effects of Psychedelics.
Drug Alcohol Rev July 1, 2026 Alexander Boardman, Jai Whelan, Ryan D Ward
Personality traits correlate with the intensity of specific sensory distortions and hallucinations experienced during psychedelic use, even after accounting for setting, dose, and demographics. In a survey of 426 psychedelic users from New Zealand, traits measured by the five-factor IPIP-NEO-60 and the Tellegen Absorption Scale were significantly associated with the intensity of eight distortions: visual trails, objects appearing to breathe, field-of-vision changes, visual acuity changes, taste hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, experiences of other dimensions, and synaesthesia. The associations were moderate in strength, suggesting personality testing could help predict acute reactions to psychedelics and inform clinical treatment approaches.