Want to Truly Connect With Nature? Try Some LSD
Ever wonder why hippies love trees so much? This may have been due to the handful of mushrooms they ate at Burning Man, according to a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology that found (perhaps unsurprisingly) a relationship between the experience of using psychedelics and their purported connection to nature.
However, it could be the other way around: the study does not rule out the possibility that environmentally friendly people are more likely to try substances such as LSD.
The study’s authors, Matthias Forstmann and Christina Sagioglu, believe there is reason to believe that psychedelic drugs help people appreciate nature. Psychedelics such as psilocybin (a psychedelic compound found in over 200 species of mushrooms), which have been found to alter connections between brain networks, are also associated with ego-dissolving effects associated with feeling connected to the natural world, although researchers have been it is impossible to conclude that environmentally conscious people simply eat mushrooms more often.
The study was based on a survey that used the self-assessments of over 1,400 people, in which they were asked questions about their closeness to nature, their ecological behavior and their experiences with psychedelic substances such as LSD, mescaline and psilocybin.
“The more people had experience with classical psychedelics, the more they enjoyed spending time in nature and the more they considered themselves to be a part of nature,” they said in the study. The increased connection with nature also meant that participants who used psychedelics were more environmentally conscious and engaged in more environmentally friendly activities such as water conservation and recycling.
Not every psychoactive substance has been associated with increased attachment to nature. Substances such as cannabis, while traditionally associated with environmental groups, have not had a strong enough effect on human feelings about nature. Regarding the influence of nature on the likelihood of using psychedelic substances, the authors proposed a longer-term study that tracks people’s attitudes towards nature, as well as the influence of psychedelics on their environmental behavior over time.