Self-admitted psychedelic use and association with psychedelic culture harm perceptions of researchers’ scientific integrity

Psychedelic researchers who admit to using the substances themselves tend to be viewed as having less integrity compared to their abstinent counterparts, according to new research that surveyed 952 individuals from the United States. The new study, published in the journal Public Understanding of Science, suggests that stereotypes about psychedelics and their users can impact people’s perceptions of scientists.

“Anecdotally, personal use of psychedelic substances by researchers in the field is a common occurrence, and quite a few of them are very open about this use,” said study author Matthias Forstmann of the University of Zurich.

“In addition, many scientists publicly display their association with the psychedelic subculture. Yet, we know very little about how such open admissions or associations affect the public’s perception of the research these scientists are conducting, which is what we tried to find out in our studies.”
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