Dude! Scientists Say Magic Mushrooms Make People More Open-Minded
A new study of 51 adults, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, found that just a one-time use of the hallucinogen psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called “magic mushrooms,” brought about a lasting personality change in 60 percent of participants.
The study found that just one strong dose of hallucinogenic mushrooms can alter a person's personality for more than a year and perhaps permanently.
Researchers at Johns-Hopkins University School of Medicine say the drug made their test subjects more open-minded, and generally increased their openness in such areas as imagination, aesthetics, feelings, abstract ideas and broadmindedness.
Lead researcher Kathleen MacLean says "This is one of the first studies to show that you actually can change adult personality." Most adults are fairly "set in their ways" by age 30 or 40.
This finding is leading scientists to study other therapeutic uses of psilocybin. They say it could, for example, help cancer patients handle their depression and anxiety, and help cigarette smokers overcome their addiction.
It will be interesting to see where this work goes. Science is discovering something that's been common knowledge on college campuses for many years.
Hallucinogenic mushrooms are illegal, but so is marijuana, and "medical" marijuana is now sold openly across the country.
What's next? Legalized "medical" magic mushrooms? Don't laugh.
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