From Egoism to Ecoism: Psychedelics Increase Nature Relatedness in a State-Mediated and Context-Dependent Manner
In a prospective online study of 654 people planning a psychedelic experience, nature relatedness increased at 2 weeks, 4 weeks and remained elevated 2 years after the event. The increase was linked to improved psychological well‑being and depended on state factors (ego‑dissolution) and the perceived influence of natural surroundings, indicating a context‑ and state‑mediated causal effect.
Authors
- Robin Carhart-Harris
- Hannes Kettner
- Eline Haijen
Published
Abstract
(1)
Background
There appears to be a growing disconnection between humans and their natural environments which has been linked to poor mental health and ecological destruction. Previous research suggests that individual levels of nature relatedness can be increased through the use of classical psychedelic compounds, although a causal link between psychedelic use and nature relatedness has not yet been established. (2)
Methods
Using correlations and generalized linear mixed regression modelling, we investigated the association between psychedelic use and nature relatedness in a prospective online study. Individuals planning to use a psychedelic received questionnaires 1 week before (N = 654), plus one day, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 2 years after a psychedelic experience. (3)
Results
The frequency of lifetime psychedelic use was positively correlated with nature relatedness at baseline. Nature relatedness was significantly increased 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 2 years after the psychedelic experience. This increase was positively correlated with concomitant increases in psychological well-being and was dependent on the extent of ego-dissolution and the perceived influence of natural surroundings during the acute psychedelic state. (4)
Conclusions
The here presented evidence for a context- and state-dependent causal effect of psychedelic use on nature relatedness bears relevance for psychedelic treatment models in mental health and, in the face of the current ecological crisis, planetary health.
Research Summary of 'From Egoism to Ecoism: Psychedelics Increase Nature Relatedness in a State-Mediated and Context-Dependent Manner'
Introduction
Kettner and colleagues frame the study within two converging concerns: a growing human disconnection from nature that is linked to poorer mental health and ecological harm, and emerging evidence that classical psychedelics can increase people's sense of connectedness. Earlier work has reported cross-sectional associations between lifetime psychedelic use and higher nature relatedness, and small prospective findings after clinical psilocybin administration, but the causal nature of this relationship and the role of acute experiential factors and environmental context remain unclear. The present study set out to test whether a psychedelic experience leads to increases in nature relatedness in healthy people, and to examine which acute-state factors and contextual variables predict such change. Specifically, the investigators hypothesised that higher lifetime psychedelic use would be associated with greater baseline nature relatedness, that nature relatedness would increase at two and four weeks after a planned psychedelic experience (and correlate with changes in psychological well-being), and that the extent of ego-dissolution and the influence of natural settings during the acute state would predict post-psychedelic increases in nature relatedness.
Expert Research Summaries
Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.
Full Text PDF
Full Paper PDF
Create a free account to open full-text PDFs.
Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Authors
- APA Citation
Kettner, H., Gandy, S., Haijen, E. C. H. M., & Carhart-Harris, R. L. (2019). From Egoism to Ecoism: Psychedelics Increase Nature Relatedness in a State-Mediated and Context-Dependent Manner. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 5147. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245147
References (33)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Erritzoe, D., Haijen, E. C. H. M. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2017)
Watts, R., Day, C. M., Krzanowski, J. et al. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2017)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Leech, R., Shanahan, M. et al. · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2014)
Nichols, D. E. · Pharmacological Reviews (2016)
Hartogsohn, I. · Drug Science Policy and Law (2017)
Forstmann, M., Sagioglou, C. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2017)
Lyons, T., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2018)
Hendricks, P. S. · International Review of Psychiatry (2018)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, &. M., Day, C. M. J. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2017)
Roseman, L., Nutt, D. J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)
Show all 33 referencesShow fewer
Studerus, E., Gamma, A., Vollenweider, F. X. · PLOS ONE (2010)
Letheby, C., Gerrans, P. · Neuroscience of Consciousness (2017)
Millière, R. · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2017)
Nour, M. R., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · British Journal of Psychiatry (2017)
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2017)
Barrett, F. S., Griffiths, R. R. · Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences (2017)
Maclean, K. A., Johnson, M. W., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2011)
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2011)
Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., Mccann, U. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2006)
Nour, M. R., Evans, J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2017)
Nour, M. R., Evans, J., Nutt, D. J. et al. · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2016)
Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Studerus, E., Kometer, M., Hasler, F. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2010)
Bouso, J. C., González, D., Fondevila, S. et al. · PLOS ONE (2012)
Haijen, E. C. H. M., Kaelen, M., Roseman, L. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)
MacLean, K. A., Leoutsakos, J. S., Johnson, M. W. et al. · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (2012)
Barrett, F. S., Bradstreet, M. P., Leoutsakos, J. M. S. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Lebedev, A. V., Kaelen, M., L€ Ovd En, M. et al. · Human Brain Mapping (2016)
Erritzoe, D., Roseman, L., Nour, M. R. et al. · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (2018)
Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Neuropharmacology (2018)
Varley, T. F., Carhart-Harris, R., Roseman, L. et al. · NeuroImage (2020)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Roseman, L., Haijen, E. C. H. M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2018)
Smigielski, L., Kometer, M., Scheidegger, M. et al. · Scientific Reports (2019)
Cited By (38)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Schlomberg, J. T. T., Meling, D., Grylka, R. et al. · Scientific Reports (2026)
Roseby, W., Kettner, H., Roseman, L. et al. · Frontiers in Psychology (2025)
Zhou, K., De Wied, D., Carhart-Harris, R. L. et al. · PNAS (2025)
Agnorelli, C., Spriggs, M. J., Godfrey, K. et al. · Preprints (2024)
Kettner, H., Roseman, L., Gazzaley, A. et al. · The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (2024)
Orłowski, P., Hobot, J., Ruban, A. et al. · Psychophysiology (2024)
Aday, J. S., Bloesch, E. K., Davis, A. K. et al. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2024)
Aday, J. S., Bloesch, E. K., Davis, A. K. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2024)
Mediano, P. A. M., Rosas, F. E., Timmermann, C. et al. · ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2024)
Borkel, L. F., Rojas-Hernández, J., Henríquez-Hernández, L. A. et al. · Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology (2023)
Show all 38 papersShow fewer
David, J., Bouso, J. C., Kohek, M. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2023)
Weiss, B., Sleep, C., Beller, N. et al. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2023)
Lebedev, A. V., Acar, K., Horntvedt, O. et al. · Scientific Reports (2023)
Weiss, B., Wingert, A., Erritzoe, D. et al. · Scientific Reports (2023)
Bloesch, E. K., Davis, A. K., Domoff, S. E. et al. · Psyarxiv (2023)
Newton, K., Moreton, S. G. · Ecopsychology (2023)
Luke, D., Gandy, S., Irvine, A. et al. · Psychoactives (2023)
Kangaslampi, S. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2023)
Shnayder, S., Ameli, R., Sinaii, N. et al. · Journal of Affective Disorders (2023)
Forstmann, M., Kettner, H. S., Sagioglou, C. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2023)
Kałużna, A., Schlosser, M., Gulliksen Craste, E. et al. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2022)
Hipólito, I., Mago, J., Rosas, F. E. et al. · Psyarxiv (2022)
Ruffell, S. G. D., Gandy, S., Tsang, W. et al. · Psyarxiv (2022)
Forstmann, M., Sagioglou, C. · European Psychologist (2022)
Whitney, S., Yaden, D. B., Lipson, J. et al. · Frontiers in Psychology (2022)
Nayak, S., Griffiths, R. R. · Frontiers in Psychology (2022)
Tagliazucchi, E. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022)
Raison, C. L., Jain, R., Jain, S. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2022)
Simonsson, O., Goldberg, S. B. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2022)
Dursun, S. M., Kelly, J. R., Gillan, C. M. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Pace, B. A., Devenot, N. · Frontiers in Psychology (2021)
Hübner, S., Haijen, E. C. H. M., Kaelen, M. et al. · Journal of Medical Internet Research (2021)
Kočárová, C., Horacek, J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Michael, P., Luke, D., Robinson, O. · Frontiers in Psychology (2021)
Kettner, H., Rosas, F. E., Timmermann, C. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2021)
Aday, J. S., Davis, A. K., Mitzkovitz, C. M. et al. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2021)
Brouwer, A., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2020)
Kelly, J. R., Crockett, M. T., Alexander, L. et al. · Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine (2020)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.