Microdosing Research

This observational study (n=98) investigates the effects of microdosing psychedelics on psychological functioning over six weeks. It finds increased functioning on dosing days, reduced depression and stress, lower distractibility, increased absorption, and increased neuroticism. A second study (n=263) reveals a discrepancy between expected and reported benefits, highlighting the need for controlled research.

This survey study (n=909, 65% of which microdosed) included the Unusual Uses Tasks as a proxy for divergent creativity. They found that people who microdosed psychedelics (mostly LSD (65%) and psilocybin (28%)) were more creative (p < 0.001, r = 0.15).

This observational study (n=38) explores the cognitive-enhancing potential of microdosing psychedelic truffles in healthy adults. It finds improved convergent and divergent thinking performance after a microdose, though fluid intelligence remains unaffected.

This was the first double-blind and placebo-controlled study (n=48) into the effects of microdosing LSD. The topic was quite specific (time perception), but they also reported on other cognitive changes (of which there were few and at a very small scale).

We don’t know much about the effects of microdosing or have even defined it rigorously. Kuypers and colleagues (2019) ask the questions and take the first step in building a framework for a more scientific microdosing study. Microdosing is defined as the 1) use of a low dose below the perceptual threshold that does not impair ‘normal’ functioning of an individual, 2) a procedure that includes multiple dosing sessions, and 3) with the intention to improve well-being and enhance cognitive and emotional processes.

This Phase I, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study (n=48) indicates that LSD administration (tested up to 20µg) didn’t produce any negative effects for healthy older participants (mean age=63).

In these two studies, 98 microdosers were asked about how they value their mood, attention, wellbeing, mystical experiences, personality, creativity, and sense of agency. They showed

This study has shown how microdosing LSD can possible affect our perception of time – with microdosers overestimating the length of time that had passed,

Anisha Larsson, a Swedish Psychology student at Uppsala University in Sweden performed a survey based study to investigate the effects and adverse effects on mental health

Abstract Microdosing psychedelics – the regular consumption of small amounts of psychedelic substances such as LSD or psilocybin – is a growing trend in popular