Microdosing Might Impact Otherwise Stable Personality Traits

A recent study to explore the relationship between microdosing, personality change and emotional awareness has found that the consumption of sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic drugs might have an impact on otherwise stable personality traits.

The findings were published by the Journal of Psychedelic Studies.

Microdoses of psychedelics, most commonly LSD and psilocybin, are considered to be between 1/10th to 1/20th of a recreational dose. For the study, data was collected at two points with a minimum interval of 31 days to ensure self-reported microdosers had a chance to have multiple dosing sessions. A total 90 patients at least 18 years of age with past and current experience in microdosing completed responses at the initial reporting period, but just 32 responded to an invitation to complete a follow-up, with 28 submitting complete responses. Patients were excluded from the study for the following factors:

• Not current microdosers
• Microdosed a substance other than a psychedelic
• Reported dosing amounts typically considered a recreational dose
• Reported very high non-psychedelic drug use

One patient was also excluded for reporting using medication for depression during the study.

Participants were evaluated by completing a substance use disorder screening tool, the M5-50 Personality Questionnaire, and the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Participants also provided basic information on demographics and their microdosing behavior.

Among the study’s findings:

• A short course of microdosing led to increased conscientiousness.
• Neuroticism decreased in a sample of more experienced microdosers. Prior microdosing was found to have a negative correlation with neuroticism and a positive correlation with extraversion.
• A negative association between emotional insight and neuroticism.

The researchers who conducted the study noted that although their process “allowed an examination of microdosing in a naturalistic setting, this study was not as precise as a controlled experiment with predetermined dosing amounts, fixed schedules, and a placebo-control condition,” and that while their current research should be interpreted with caution, future research could be built on the exploratory findings of this study.