Human enhancement modalities: Microdosing psychedelics
Human Enhancement Drugs Volume Two 2026 DOI: 10.4324/9781003391067-12 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Key points | Argues that microdosing psychedelics, as a facet of human enhancement, is shaped by motivations for enhancement, risk negotiation, and the interplay of therapy and enhancement within the psychedelics renaissance. |
Abstract
Microdosing psychedelics has attracted growing attention from public commentators, scientists, investors and user communities across the globe. Microdosing is the use of small doses of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin mushrooms and LSD. Its proponents speak of microdosing as a use modality that improves various human abilities and life areas, including cognitive function, mood, creativity, interpersonal relations and overall wellbeing. Sociologically, the networks, practices and discourses that make up microdosing make sense within the wider context of the psychedelics renaissance. This renaissance consists of an intensified interest in psychedelics evidenced in new scientific investigations, policy debates and change, and commercial investments. This chapter examines microdosing as an emerging facet of human enhancement through drugs. First, I will provide a theoretical context for examining microdosing based on a multidisciplinary body of literature on HEDs. Second, I will review sociological studies of microdosing, with emphasis on those aspects pertaining to enhancement. Key analytical areas include the different motivations and approaches for using microdosing as enhancement, emergent harms and the negotiation of risk in this relatively new use modality, the relationship between enhancement and therapy uses, and the impact of research, socio-cultural and legal factors on the development of the phenomenon. Finally, I will discuss the ramifications of this body of research for the broader study of human enhancement drugs, as well as proposing future directions for investigation.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on microdosing, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positron emission tomography microdosing: a new concept with application in tracer and early clinical drug development | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Set and setting in microdosing: an oft-overlooked principle. | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Psilocybin Microdosing Schedules, 5-HT2A Adaptation, and the Age-Dependent Cortical State: From Intermittent to Continuous Exposure | 2026 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Daily Psilocybin Microdosing as a Receptor-Adaptation Paradigm: A Testable 5-HT2A Down-Regulation Hypothesis | 2026 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| It’s all about the relationship: The caregiver experience of supporting a person with advanced cancer going through an LSD microdosing trial Caregivers of advanced cancer patients in an LSD microdosing trial | 2026 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |