Psychedelics and Creativity: a Review of the Quantitative Literature
This review (2015, pre-print) of the psychedelics literature on creativity argues that creativity is too elusive/inconsistent a measure that is confounded by other changes.
Abstract
After a 40-year hiatus, the question of whether psychedelics can increase creativity is being asked with renewed vigor. This article critically reviews the conceptual issues of studying psychedelic induced creativity by summarizing the limited evidence on the question and suggesting two broader frameworks. There are two important challenges to researchers on this topic. One is to separate creativity from other effects of the drug that may be mistaken for creativity. The second is to develop operational measures to quantify it. This article reviews the major studies assessing creativity (or related constructs) induced by psychedelics, including a reanalysis of raw data from one study. Results are modest and inconclusive but are consistent with reports that psychedelics give rise to unusual or novel thoughts. Given the lack of robust changes in creativity measures, I suggest creativity may be too specific of a construct to accurately and fully characterize the putatively beneficial cognitive changes that psychedelic users report. Feelings of creativity may be an inconsistent result of a more general effect of these drugs, such as alterations in [the] availability of mental representations or changes in Bayesian inference. Ultimately, creativity may not be a sufficiently creative construct to capture the beneficial effects of psychedelics.
Research Summary of 'Psychedelics and Creativity: a Review of the Quantitative Literature'
Introduction
Psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin are widely claimed to enhance creativity, but that claim is difficult to evaluate because psychedelics produce a range of other subjective effects that can be mistaken for creativity and because creativity itself is a heterogeneous, hard-to-measure construct. Earlier empirical work on the topic is sparse and mostly from the 1960s, using methods inconsistent with modern psychopharmacology, while renewed scientific interest has emerged more recently alongside clinical trials in other psychiatric indications. Anecdotal reports and cultural histories link psychedelics to creative breakthroughs, but quantitative tests have often found objective impairments in other cognitive domains alongside subjective reports of improvement, creating a tension that motivates closer study.
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 Typemeta
- Journal
- Compounds
- Topic
- Author
- APA Citation
Baggott, M. J. (2018). Psychedelics and Creativity: a Review of the Quantitative Literature. https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.1202v1
References (15)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Bogenschutz, M. P., Forcehimes, A. A., Pommy, J. A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Geyer, M. A., Vollenweider, F. X. · Trends in Pharmacological Sciences (2008)
González-Maeso, J., Sealfon, S. C. · Trends in Neuroscience (2009)
Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2011)
Grob, C. S., Danforth, A. L., Chopra, G. S. et al. · JAMA Psychiatry (2011)
Harman, W. W., McKim, R. H., Mogar, R. E. et al. · Psychological Reports (1966)
Johnson, M. W., Garcia-Romeu, A., Cosimano, M. P. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2014)
Krippner, S. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (1985)
Maclean, K. A., Johnson, M. W., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2011)
Show all 15 referencesShow fewer
Sessa, B. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Spitzer, M., Thimm, M., Hermle, L. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (1996)
ten Berge, J. T. · Journal of Creative Behavior (2011)
ten Berge, J. T. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2002)
Vollenweider, F. X., Kometer, M. · Nature Reviews Neuroscience (2010)
Cited By (16)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Prochazkova, L., van Elk, M., Marschall, J. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2025)
Suay, D., Aicher, H. D., Singer, B. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2025)
Murphy, R. J. · Psychopharmacology (2024)
Dourron, H. M., Strauss, C., Hendricks, P. S. · Pharmacological Reviews (2022)
Costa, M. A. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2022)
van Elk, M., Yaden, D. B. · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2022)
Rodríguez Arce, J. M., Winkelman, M. J. · Frontiers in Psychology (2021)
Kočárová, C., Horacek, J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Mason, N. L., Kuypers, K. P. C., Reckweg, J. T. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2021)
Palhano-Fontes, F., Gorman, I., Nielson, E. M. et al. · Frontiers in Psychology (2021)
Show all 16 papersShow fewer
Girn, M., Mills, C., Roseman, L. et al. · NeuroImage (2020)
Hartogsohn, I. · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2018)
Swanson, L. R. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)
Kraehenmann, R. · Current Neuropharmacology (2017)
Kraehenmann, R. ;., Pokorny, D. ;., Vollenweider, L. ;. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2017)
Sweat, N. W., Bates, L. W., Hendricks, P. S. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2016)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.