Turn On, Tune In, Drop In: Psychedelics, Creativity and Entrepreneurship

This paper is a narrative literature review and commentary. Silver does not report a formal, reproducible search strategy (no databases, date ranges, inclusion/exclusion criteria, or systematic screening procedures are described), so the review should be read as a selective synthesis rather than a systematic review. Material integrated into the review includes historical accounts, ethnographic and folkloric material, popular-press self-reports and profiles of microdosers, and a selection of academic studies ranging from early experimental work in the 1960s to more recent controlled and observational investigations. Where available, the paper summarises key study designs (for example, early group-administered psychedelics, double-blind controlled psilocybin work, interview-based studies, field studies at organised microdosing events, and at least one randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled microdosing trial). Silver also draws on neuroscience accounts (notably work on the brain's default mode network) and on examples from public discourse and industry (e.g. reported use by entrepreneurs). The methods of synthesis are narrative: findings from disparate sources are described and compared, but no formal quantitative pooling, risk-of-bias assessment, or meta-analytic methods are reported.

Silver first summarises historical and cultural evidence that psychoactive substances with psychedelic-like effects have been used for millennia in religious and ceremonial contexts across regions, including kykeon in classical Greece, psilocybin use in the Americas, and ayahuasca in the Amazon basin. Noting linguistic roots, the paper emphasises longstanding conceptual links between psychedelics, spiritual experience and altered states of consciousness. On uses, the review highlights religious and therapeutic claims from historical figures (for example William James, Bill Wilson and Aldous Huxley) and traces the rise and later discrediting of psychedelic use in the 1960s, including reports of adverse incidents and legal prohibition. Silver notes the paper's recurring point that psychedelics are generally not considered addictive but are contraindicated for individuals with psychosis or those taking certain medications. Concerning neural mechanisms, Silver describes research on the default mode network (DMN), citing work that framed the DMN as a coordinating network whose activity is altered by psychedelics. The review summarises imaging evidence that classic psychedelics increase global brain connectivity relative to placebo and that this disinhibition of normal DMN functioning may allow different brain regions to interact in novel ways. In the section on popular accounts, Silver summarises media and first-person reports about microdosing. The extracted text emphasises that definitions of a microdose vary (commonly described as roughly one-twentieth to one-tenth of a recreational dose, or 10–20 micrograms every four days), and that users report enhanced focus, creativity, better sleep, reduced internet distraction, improved athletic performance and relief from certain pains. The paper presents individual anecdotes from engineers and writers who report increased engagement and problem‑solving capacity while claiming no overt subjective “high”. Academic studies summarised include a range of designs and sample sizes. An early experimental study by Harman et al. (1966) with 27 professionally employed men reportedly found increased creative ability lasting several weeks after a single group-administered psychedelic session. A 2011 double-blind controlled study of psilocybin measured Big Five personality traits before, one to two months after, and 14 months after administration; it reported significant increases in Openness, particularly among participants who had a mystical-type experience during the session. Related findings linked mystical experiences during psychedelic sessions to better performance on functional fixedness tasks. More recent microdosing-focused work is also described. An interview study of internet-recruited respondents who microdosed reported improved mood, cognition and creativity. A field study at a Dutch Psychedelic Society microdosing event used cognitive tasks (Picture Concept Task for convergent thinking, Alternative Uses Task for divergent thinking, and a shortened Raven's Progressive Matrices for fluid intelligence) administered before and after truffle microdosing; results showed improvements in convergent and divergent thinking but no change in fluid intelligence. A psilocybin retreat study (n=55) assessed convergent/divergent thinking and life satisfaction at baseline (n=55), the morning after (n=50) and seven days later (n=22); divergent thinking and empathy improved the morning after, and gains in convergent thinking and well-being persisted to day seven for the smaller follow-up group. Observational online questionnaire studies and semi-structured interviews reported greater openness, creativity and increased persistence among microdosers compared with non-microdosing controls; qualitative work noted that many microdosers frame use as instrumental and separate themselves from recreational users. Importantly, Silver highlights that until 2018 few randomised, placebo‑controlled microdosing trials existed. The 2018 randomised, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled study in older adults tested LSD microdoses (5, 10 and 20 µg) and found temporal dilation of supra‑second intervals (a change in time perception) without reported subjective alterations of consciousness or changes in concentration and perception. Across the results, Silver emphasises the heterogeneity of evidence: promising signals for creativity and openness are reported, but study designs vary, sample sizes are often small, definitions of microdosing lack consensus, and much evidence remains anecdotal or observational.

Silver interprets the assembled evidence as indicating renewed scientific and popular interest in psychedelics, with microdosing receiving particular attention among healthy, high-performing professionals seeking cognitive and creative advantages. The review suggests a plausible neurobiological mechanism—disruption of the DMN and increased global connectivity—that could underlie reported increases in creative thinking and openness. The paper positions these findings relative to earlier research by noting continuity from mid‑20th century experimental work through recent controlled and field studies, while emphasising that much contemporary enthusiasm rests on self-reports and media accounts. Silver is explicit that empirical gaps remain: inconsistent definitions of microdoses, reliance on small or uncontrolled samples, and a limited number of rigorous, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trials. In terms of implications, the author focuses on pedagogical and ethical questions for business schools. Microdosing and related practices are framed as controversial issues that intersect with students' lives and with workplace practices; Silver recommends that entrepreneurship instructors address the topic through structured pedagogies (case studies, research assignments, presentations and facilitated discussions) that promote critical thinking and ethical reflection. The paper also notes broader societal implications: increasing availability of novel psychoactive substances, interest from non‑medical institutions (including military/intelligence contexts), and growing philanthropic support for clinical research, which together make it important for educators and policymakers to stay informed. Silver acknowledges limitations of the review itself—the selective, non‑systematic approach and the variable quality of the underlying studies—and calls for continued clinical and empirical research to clarify potential benefits, risks and mechanisms.

The conclusion reiterates that research into psychedelics is shifting from full, supervised dosing towards investigation of microdosing and that evidence to date suggests potential benefits for creativity, openness and some aspects of cognition, alongside therapeutic promise for conditions such as depression, addiction and post‑traumatic stress. Silver emphasises that given increasing interest among healthy professionals and institutional attention, business school instructors should not ignore reports of microdosing and should prepare to engage students with well‑designed, respectful classroom activities. The paper closes by noting the expanding infrastructure for psychedelic research (including private fundraising for academic centres) and the responsibility of educators to monitor emerging evidence and help students navigate ethically and empirically contested terrain.