Transformative experience and social connectedness mediate the mood-enhancing effects of psychedelic use in naturalistic settings
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Past research suggests that use of psychedelic substances such as LSD or psilocybin may have positive effects on mood and feelings of social connectedness. These psychological effects are thought to be highly sensitive to context, but robust and direct evidence for them in a naturalistic setting is scarce. In a series of field studies involving over 1,200 participants across six multiday mass gatherings in the United States and the United Kingdom, we investigated the effects of psychedelic substance use on transformative experience, social connectedness, and positive mood. This approach allowed us to test preregistered hypotheses with high ecological validity and statistical precision. Controlling for a host of demographic variables and the use of other psychoactive substances, we found that psychedelic substance use was significantly associated with positive mood—an effect sequentially mediated by self-reported transformative experience and increased social connectedness. These effects were particularly pronounced for those who had taken psychedelic substances within the last 24 h (compared to the last week). Overall, this research provides robust evidence for positive affective and social consequences of psychedelic substance use in naturalistic settings.
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Findings from recent research on group-based psychedelic experiences suggest that feelings of group belonging and connectedness predict psychological well-being and positive mood.
“Findings from recent research on group-based psychedelic experiences suggest that feelings of group belonging and connectedness predict psychological well-being and positive mood (Forstmann et al., 2020; Kettner et al., 2021).”
From Prospective examination of the therapeutic role of psychological flexibility and cognitive reappraisal in the ceremonial use of ayahuasca (2022) · cites this paper as Forstmann et al., 2020
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- Authors
- Forstmann, M., Yudkin, D. A., Prosser, A. M. B., Heller, S. M., & Crockett, M. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Cologne (DE)
- Yale University (US)
- University of Bath (GB)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Forstmann, Matthias
- Crockett, Molly J.
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2020-01-21
- Volume
- 117
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 2338-2346
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC7007572
- OpenAlex
- W3001118513
- Cited by
- 185
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 57 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 11
- FWCI
- 11.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Kölner Universitäts PublikationsServer (Universität zu Köln) (publishedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
- Funders
- John Templeton Foundation (ID 49683)
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (FO 1042/1-1)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
- Keywords
- psychedelics, LSD, psilocybin, transformative experience, social connectedness, positive mood, mood improvement, mass gatherings, naturalistic settings, mediation
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Affect, Female, United Kingdom, Hallucinogens, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Middle Aged, Personality, Time Factors, United States, Young Adult, Self Report
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