Psychedelics and Creativity: Rethinking the Connection
The idea that psychedelics can unlock creativity has long captured public imagination. From Silicon Valley “microdosers” to artists seeking inspiration, many believe that psychedelics expand the mind and fuel innovative thought. However, a new study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology challenges this common belief, showing that while people may feel more creative under psychedelics, their actual creative performance often declines.
The Study: Testing DMT and Harmine
Researchers examined the effects of a standardized combination of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmine. the two key psychoactive components of ayahuasca on different forms of creativity. DMT, a potent hallucinogen, activates serotonin receptors and produces vivid perceptual changes. Harmine prolongs these effects by slowing DMT’s breakdown in the body. Together, they create the long-lasting visionary experience associated with ayahuasca.
The research team designed a placebo controlled, double blind experiment involving 30 healthy male volunteers who completed three separate sessions: one with both DMT and harmine, one with harmine alone, and one with a placebo. The goal was to isolate how these substances affected both structured and spontaneous forms of creativity.
Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking
To measure creativity, the researchers focused on two major types of thought processes.
- Divergent thinking involves brainstorming multiple unique ideas for a problem measured through tasks like finding many uses for a common object.
- Convergent thinking focuses on solving structured problems with a single correct answer, like identifying conceptual links between images.
The results were surprising. The DMT-harmine combination impaired convergent thinking, making participants less effective at solving structured problems. Those who typically performed well without the drug showed the greatest decline under its influence. Divergent thinking, which measures idea generation, was less affected but showed a mild reduction in fluency and elaboration suggesting a subtle dampening effect on creative output.
Artistic Expression and Creative Flow
Beyond lab tasks, participants engaged in open ended digital painting to simulate a real-world creative process. Using a self-report tool called the Creative Process Report Diary, they recorded phases of their creative flow from planning and reflecting to experiencing flashes of insight.
Interestingly, participants under the DMT-harmine condition went through fewer reflective and insight transitions. This suggests that psychedelics may disrupt the incubation stage of creativity. The quiet mental period where ideas subconsciously develop before breakthroughs occur. While participants felt more inspired, their creative flow appeared more fragmented and less organized.
The Illusion of Insight
Many participants described feeling deeply insightful and creative during their psychedelic sessions. However, these feelings did not translate into better creative performance. In fact, self-reported “aha” moments often coincided with lower scores on structured tasks. The study’s lead author, neuroscientist and artist Dila Suay, emphasized this gap between perception and performance: people may believe they’re more creative, even when objective evidence says otherwise.
This disconnect highlights how psychedelics may change the subjective experience of creativity. Shifting how ideas feel and flow, rather than increasing the actual output of creative thought. The brain may take new, less linear pathways to problem-solving under psychedelics, but that doesn’t necessarily make those pathways more productive.
Implications for Psychedelic Research
These findings remind us that the link between psychedelics and creativity is complex, not linear. While altered states can inspire profound personal meaning or insight, they don’t guarantee improved creative abilities. The study also underscores the need for diverse samples and naturalistic settings, as all participants were male and lab-based measures may not fully reflect real-world creativity.
For clinicians and researchers exploring psychedelic-assisted therapy, this study raises important questions about how these substances influence cognition and self-perception. Feeling creative and being creative are not always the same and understanding that difference is key to using these tools safely and effectively.
Citations:
- Suay, D., Aicher, H.D., Singer, B., Müller, M.J., Jelusic, A., Calzaferri, L., Springfeld, P., Dornbierer, D.A., & Scheidegger, M. (2025). Ayahuasca-inspired DMT/harmine formulation alters creative thinking dynamics during artistic creation. Journal of Psychopharmacology. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that a DMT + harmine formulation impaired convergent thinking and changed the flow of the creative process, even while participants reported feeling more insightful. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02698811251353256?utm_source=chatgpt.com
PsyPost Staff. (September 28, 2025). Psychedelics may not boost creativity as widely believed, new study suggests. PsyPost. This news piece summarizes the Journal of Psychopharmacology study led by Dila Suay and explains the gap between how “creative” people feel on psychedelics and how they actually perform on structured tasks like problem-solving. https://www.psypost.org/psychedelics-may-not-boost-creativity-as-widely-believed-new-study-suggests/?utm_source=chatgpt.com