Psychedelics and creativity: exciting results are arriving! Researchers reported that LSD increased novelty, surprise and originality in 24 healthy volunteers, and that a single psilocybin session raised spontaneous creative insights, with more novel ideas seven days later, in 60 volunteers. In a pooled analysis of 171 participants across three double-blind trials, microdosing psilocybin truffles increased the ratio of original responses. Encouraging to see science putting a widely held belief to the test, with more studies arriving all the time!

Key studies

Study 1. Psilocybin in 60 healthy volunteers (Mason, 2021)

Novelty scores were significantly higher than placebo seven days after psilocybin (d = 0.52), and spontaneous creative insights rose during the session, in 60 healthy volunteers!

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial, researchers gave 60 healthy volunteers, all with some past psychedelic experience, a single dose of psilocybin or placebo and tested creative thinking during the drug effects and seven days later. Researchers reported that psilocybin raised ratings of spontaneous creative insights during the session, and that, compared with placebo, novelty scores were significantly higher seven days later (d = 0.52)! The authors said the findings add some support to historical claims that psychedelics can influence aspects of the creative process.

“Conversely, compared to placebo psilocybin significantly increased scores of novelty (d = 0.52) at the follow-up”

Abstract of the published study (text from Europe PMC), key sentence highlighted in yellow. Source: Mason NL, Kuypers KPC, Reckweg JT, et al. Spontaneous and deliberate creative cognition during and after psilocybin exposure. Transl Psychiatry. 2021;11(1):209. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01335-5

Study 2. LSD in 24 healthy volunteers (Wießner, 2022)

Compared with placebo, LSD increased novelty, surprise and originality, plus symbolic thinking, across creativity tasks in 24 healthy volunteers!

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, researchers gave 24 healthy volunteers LSD on one occasion and placebo on another, then tested creativity with a battery of tasks near the peak of drug effects. Researchers reported that LSD increased novelty, surprise, originality and symbolic thinking! The authors said LSD-induced symbolic thinking might provide a tool to support treatment efficiency in psychedelic-assisted therapy.

“LSD changed creativity across modalities and measurement approaches.”

Abstract of the published study (text from Europe PMC), key sentence highlighted in yellow. Source: Wießner I, Falchi M, Maia LO, et al. LSD and creativity: Increased novelty and symbolic thinking, decreased utility and convergent thinking. J Psychopharmacol. 2022;36(3):348-359. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811211069113

Study 3. Psilocybin in 55 people attending a retreat (Mason, 2019)

In 55 people at a psilocybin retreat, divergent thinking and emotional empathy were enhanced the morning after, and convergent thinking and well-being gains were still there seven days later!

Researchers tested creative thinking, empathy and well-being in people attending a psilocybin retreat, before ingesting psilocybin (55 people), the morning after (50 people) and seven days later (22 people). Researchers reported that psilocybin enhanced divergent thinking and emotional empathy the morning after use! Enhancements in convergent thinking, valence-specific emotional empathy and well-being were still there seven days after use.

“Enhancements in convergent thinking, valence-specific emotional empathy, and well-being persisted seven days after use.”

Abstract of the published study (text from Europe PMC), key sentence highlighted in yellow. Source: Mason NL, Mischler E, Uthaug MV, et al. Sub-Acute Effects of Psilocybin on Empathy, Creative Thinking, and Subjective Well-Being. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2019;51(2):123-134. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2019.1580804

Study 4. Psilocybin truffle microdosing in 171 participants from three trials (Prochazkova, 2026)

Microdosing psilocybin truffles increased the ratio of original ideas, a sign of higher-quality divergent thinking, in 171 participants across three double-blind trials!

Researchers pooled data from three double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of microdosing psilocybin-containing truffles, 171 participants in all, and tested divergent (many-ideas) and convergent (single-answer) thinking. Researchers reported that active microdosing increased the ratio of original responses (originality/fluency), indicating higher quality of divergent thinking! The effects survived controlling for dose guess and demographic biases.

“We found that active microdosing increased the ratio of original responses (originality/fluency), indicating higher quality of divergent thinking in the active microdosing condition.”

Abstract of the published study (text from Europe PMC), key sentence highlighted in yellow. Source: Prochazkova L, Marschall J, van Elk M, et al. Microdosing psilocybin and its effect on creativity: Lessons learned from three double-blind placebo controlled longitudinal trials. Neuropharmacology. 2026;284:110732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110732

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