At Dutch dance parties in 2001-2002, partygoers used MDMA mainly for its energetic and euphoric effects. Greater MDMA use was linked to hardcore and trance/mainstream party styles, motivations of euphoria, sexiness, self-insight, and sociability (negatively), and to gender, lower education, and friends' MDMA use. Women reported more acute negative effects—depression, confusion, loss of control, suspiciousness, edginess, nausea, dizziness—than men. Women motivated to cope with problems by using MDMA were particularly at risk. For men, polydrug use and motivation to conform to friends were associated with negative effects.
House music was the dominant youth subculture in the Netherlands during the 1980s and 1990s, centered on all-night parties and MDMA (Ecstasy) use. The article reviews the history of the Dutch house scene and examines the psychological effects of dancing while on MDMA, termed "dancestasy." Although MDMA can be physically and cognitively harmful, the dancestasy experience may positively contribute to personal and social identity development in adolescence. Ethnographic studies suggest temporary negative effects on school or work functioning. After several years in the scene, leisure time becomes less important, and young adults resume social responsibilities.