Unlocking the self: Can microdosing psychedelics make one feel more authentic?
Nordisk alkohol- & narkotikatidskrift : NAT April 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1177/14550725231175353 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 18 |
| Population | Microdosers in the Netherlands |
| Intervention | Microdosing |
| Duration | 1 month |
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Keywords | Authenticity Experience sampling methods Psychedelics |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | State authenticity was significantly higher on microdosing days and the following day, and both the number of daily activities and satisfaction with them were positively related to state authenticity. |
Abstract
Background and
Aim: In the present study, we focus on the relationship between state authenticity - the experience of being true to oneself in a particular moment - and microdosing - a practice that implies repeatedly ingesting very small doses of psychedelics that do not reach the threshold for perceptual alterations. We propose that microdosing could increase state authenticity through influencing people's mood and the number and satisfaction with daily activities.
Methods: We used self-assessments of state authenticity collected from 18 microdosers in the Netherlands across the period of 1 month for a total of 192 observations.
Results: We found that on the microdosing day and the day thereafter, state authenticity was significantly higher. Furthermore, the number of activities and the satisfaction with them were higher on the day when participants microdosed, while the following day only the number of activities was higher. Both the number or activities and the satisfaction with them were positively related to state authenticity.
Conclusion: We propose that feeling and behaving authentically could have a central role in explaining the positive effects of microdosing on health and wellbeing that are reported by current research.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on microdosing, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microdosing psychedelics: personality, mental health, and creativity differences in microdosers Respondents recruited from online forums | 2019 | Observational study | |
| Positive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing Individuals planning a weekly microdosing regimen | 2021 | Prospective observational study | n = 81 |
| Might Microdosing Psychedelics Be Safe and Beneficial? An Initial Exploration. More than a thousand individuals from 59 countries | 2019 | Observational cohort | n = 1,000 |
| Psilocybin microdosers demonstrate greater observed improvements in mood and mental health at one month relative to non-microdosing controls Psilocybin microdosers and non-microdosing comparators | 2022 | Naturalistic observational study | n = 1,133 |
| Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics of Oral Quinidine and Verapamil in Healthy Subjects: A Clinical Microdosing Study Healthy subjects | 2011 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Microdosing psychedelics has no impact on cognitive function in naturalistic settings Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry August 1, 2023
- Psychedelics in the age of reproducibility: Reflections on aura, set and setting and the medicalization of mystical-type experiences. International Journal of Drug Policy 2026
- Towards a dynamic processual model of psychedelic microdosing. International Journal of Drug Policy February 1, 2025
- Psilocybin, From Ancestral Use to Therapeutic Potential: A Multidimensional Review of Its Pharmacological Basis and Current Perspectives Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental September 1, 2026
- These aren’t the beliefs you’re looking for: on the limits of affect-neutral accounts of psychedelic therapy Synthese January 26, 2026
Cites 20
- Psilocybin Biases Facial Recognition, Goal-Directed Behavior, and Mood State Toward Positive Relative to Negative Emotions Through Different Serotonergic Subreceptors Biological Psychiatry May 9, 2012
- Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects. Neuroimage August 1, 2019
- Acute Subjective and Behavioral Effects of Microdoses of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Human Volunteers Biological Psychiatry June 3, 2019
- Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat. Scientific Reports October 24, 2019
- Powerful substances in tiny amounts Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs February 1, 2018
and 15 more in the library