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Cited by 145Psychedelics and Drug StudiesPain Management and Placebo EffectPsychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 76 of the 76 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Positive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing

Open access
Kaertner, L. S., Steinborn, M. B., Kettner, H., Spriggs, M. J., Roseman, L., Buchborn, T., Balaet, M., Timmermann, C., Erritzoe, D., Carhart-Harris, R. L.·2021·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-021-81446-7PMC PMC7820236
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Abstract

Psychedelic microdosing describes the ingestion of near-threshold perceptible doses of classic psychedelic substances. Anecdotal reports and observational studies suggest that microdosing may promote positive mood and well-being, but recent placebo-controlled studies failed to find compelling evidence for this. The present study collected web-based mental health and related data using a prospective (before, during and after) design. Individuals planning a weekly microdosing regimen completed surveys at strategic timepoints, spanning a core four-week test period. Eighty-one participants completed the primary study endpoint. Results revealed increased self-reported psychological well-being, emotional stability and reductions in state anxiety and depressive symptoms at the four-week primary endpoint, plus increases in psychological resilience, social connectedness, agreeableness, nature relatedness and aspects of psychological flexibility. However, positive expectancy scores at baseline predicted subsequent improvements in well-being, suggestive of a significant placebo response. This study highlights a role for positive expectancy in predicting positive outcomes following psychedelic microdosing and cautions against zealous inferences on its putative therapeutic value.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41598-021-81446-7

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Figure 1 Percentual changes from baseline are shown for the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale;(WEMWBS); Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, short version (STAI-6); Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR16). N = 68. Note that percentage gains or losses indicate increases or reductions in absolute values. Results of repeated measures ANOVAs are shown with *p < .05, **p < .01.
Figure 1 Percentual changes from baseline are shown for the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale;(WEMWBS); Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, short version (STAI-6); Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR16). N = 68. Note that percentage gains or losses indicate increases or reductions in absolute values. Results of repeated measures ANOVAs are shown with *p < .05, **p < .01.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2 (a) Percentual changes from 1) baseline to 2) key-endpoint (4-weeks) are shown for the subscales of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI): Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Openness. (b) Percentual changes from 1) baseline to 2) key-endpoint (4-weeks) are shown for the subscales of the Social Connectedness Scale (SCS), Nature-Relatedness (NR-6), brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ). Note that percentage gains or losses indicate increases or reductions and increases in absolute values. N = 81, results of dependent samples t-tests are shown* p < .05, ** p < .01.
Figure 2 (a) Percentual changes from 1) baseline to 2) key-endpoint (4-weeks) are shown for the subscales of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI): Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Openness. (b) Percentual changes from 1) baseline to 2) key-endpoint (4-weeks) are shown for the subscales of the Social Connectedness Scale (SCS), Nature-Relatedness (NR-6), brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ). Note that percentage gains or losses indicate increases or reductions and increases in absolute values. N = 81, results of dependent samples t-tests are shown* p < .05, ** p < .01.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Authors
Kaertner, L. S., Steinborn, M. B., Kettner, H., Spriggs, M. J., Roseman, L., Buchborn, T., Balaet, M., Timmermann, C., Erritzoe, D., & Carhart-Harris, R. L.
Affiliations
  • University of Würzburg (DE)
  • Imperial College London (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-01-21
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
1941-1941
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-021-81446-7
PMC
PMC7820236
OpenAlex
W3122801192
Cited by
145
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 18
FWCI
19.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Online Publication Service of Würzburg University (Würzburg University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (ACF-2013-21-501, CL-2017-21-004)
  • Academy of Medical Sciences (SGL019\1063)
  • Imperial College London
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Keywords
psychedelic microdosing, positive expectations, placebo response, psychological well-being, state anxiety, depressive symptoms, emotional stability, psychological resilience, social connectedness, agreeableness, nature relatedness, psychological flexibility, classic psychedelics
MeSH terms
Adult, Affect, Anxiety, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Emotions, Female, Hallucinogens, Humans, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Motivation, Psilocybin, Quality of Life, Placebo Effect, Outcome Assessment, Health Care

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