Personality changes following first-time psychedelic use in college students in Germany
Constantin Volkmann, Michael Seitz, Ricarda Evens, Moritz Bruno Petzold, Michael Koslowski, Felix Betzler
npj Mental Health Research July 10, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s44184-026-00228-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,168 |
| Population | Berlin university students |
| Duration | One year |
| Key findings | First-time psychedelic use was associated with small increases in Openness and decreases in Conscientiousness, but these changes were not statistically significant after adjustment and correction for multiple comparisons. |
Abstract
Psychedelics may influence personality traits, but longitudinal evidence on first-time use outside clinical settings remains limited. We followed 102 first-time psychedelic users and 1066 never-users over one year among Berlin university students. Personality was assessed with the Big Five Inventory at baseline and follow-up. Linear mixed-effects models showed small relative increases in Openness and decreases in Conscientiousness among first-time users. After adjustment for age, sex, income, psychiatric diagnosis, and baseline substance-use burden, estimates were attenuated but directionally similar (Openness: beta = 0.19, SE = 0.10, p = 0.06; Conscientiousness: beta = –0.20, SE = 0.10, p = 0.05; FDR-adjusted p = 0.16 for both). Change was not clearly different from first-time users of other illicit substances. In exploratory moderation analyses, first-time users with psychiatric diagnoses showed larger Neuroticism reductions. Findings suggest small personality changes after first-time psychedelic use, with limited causal interpretability.