Forty-two studies, and psilocybin does not sharpen thinking in the moment
What they did
Researchers reviewed forty-two studies covering psilocybin's effects on cognition and creativity, sorting them by whether effects were measured during the acute experience or in the days and weeks afterwards.
What they found
Right after a full dose, thinking and creative performance tend to dip rather than improve. Microdoses lean toward more creative output. Days to weeks later, cognitive effects are mostly neutral with a few positive signals.
Worth knowing
A scoping review maps what exists rather than pooling it statistically, so it cannot give you an effect size. Its main value is correcting the widespread belief that psilocybin sharpens thinking in the moment. It does not.
Bonnieux et al. Psilocybin's effects on cognition and creativity, a scoping review. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2023.
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meaningTwo months on, volunteers still called it deeply meaningfulcreativityPsilocybin makes you worse at creativity tests, then bettercognitionEighty-nine healthy people, and no cognitive change at allThe short version is that full doses make you worse at creative tasks while you are on them and slightly better a week later. Anyone selling you focus in a capsule is ahead of the evidence, including anyone selling capsules.
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