New Study Shows LSD Can Make You More Creative
A fun new study has revealed what most of us knew all along: LSD makes you really creative.
The study was featured in this month’s issue of Language, Cognition and Neuroscience. Researchers in the study sought to determine how Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) affected speech and language.
They found that after taking LSD, participants were able to tap into words and ideas from deep within the subconscious. Researchers concluded that LSD altered the semantics of the brain.
Of course, that news is nothing new to anyone who has taken LSD: the drug is known for its visual hallucinations and other delusions when taken orally.
How Did the Study Work?
In this latest study, 10 participants were given LSD and a placebo pill one week apart.
Participants were asked to identify a series of pictures after taking either pill.
Researchers determined that LSD did not affect reaction times. However, after taking LSD, participants made more mistakes regarding the pictures they saw.
More importantly, participants in the study were found to experience significant changes in the semantics of their brain.
As an example, researchers said that they showed participants an image of a car while on LSD. Participants identified this car as a bus or train. Researchers used this information to believe that subjects brought more related words to the forefront of their mind while on LSD, indicating that they were bringing up words from their subconscious.
In other words, instead of just picking the most relevant word from the “front” of their brain, participants on LSD were drawing words from parts of the brain they don’t usually access during everyday speech.
Neiloufar Family, the study’s lead author, explained to Medical Daily that,
“These findings are relevant for the renewed exploration of psychedelic psychotherapy, which are being developed for depression and other mental illnesses. The effects of LSD on language can result in a cascade of associations that allow quicker access to far away concepts stored in the mind.”
She followed up by stating that, “Inducing a hyper-associative state may have implications for the enhancement of creativity.”
In any case, the general public’s reaction to this news is summed up by one commenter on the original article who said,
“Lol…we knew that back in the 70’s”.
No kidding.
This Isn’t the First Major Study on LSD
This isn’t the first time scientists have studied LSD in a research setting. One study found that LSD was excellent at improving the “psychological wellbeing” of participants, for example, while other researchers demonstrated that it made men act more “peaceful and compassionately” after taking it.
There are also videos online where you can watch people try to put together IKEA furniture after taking LSD – so there are a wide range of research materials you can lean on for support.
Meanwhile, you can view the full study on the language altering effects of LSD here.
