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Preprint (Author's original)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Preprint (Author's original)CC BY V4.0, Open
Preprint
Past Psychedelic Use Predicts Divergent Thinking
arXiv (Cornell University)
Cornell University
07/01/2026
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Abstract
Psychedelics have shown potential in treating a range of mental health conditions, yet far less is known about their impact on creativity. This study examined three components of creativity—divergent thinking, cognitive reflection, and insight—in a large sample (N = 5,905) from the Great British Intelligence Test. We compared performance between individuals with past psychedelic use and those without such use. Psychedelic users scored significantly higher on divergent thinking than both non-drug users and drug users who had not used psychedelics. However, they did not score higher on measures of cognitive reflection, number of insights, or insight accuracy. These findings suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use may be associated with enhanced divergent thinking, but not enhanced insight-related performance. Future research should aim to establish causality through prospective designs and controlled studies incorporating long-term follow-up, biological data, and personality structure assessment.
Details
- Title
- Past Psychedelic Use Predicts Divergent Thinking
- Creators
- Gregory J Pope - Southern Cross UniversityChristopher Timmermann - University College LondonWilliam Trender - Imperial College LondonPeter J Hellyer - Kings College London (UK, London)Maria Bălăeţ - Imperial College LondonRuben E Laukkonen - University of Oxford
- Publication Details
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Publisher
- Cornell University
- Identifiers
- 991013343990902368
- Academic Unit
- Human Sciences; Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Preprint