Psychedelics have been linked to creativity for over half a century. In the 1960s, Harvard researcher Timothy Leary began evangelizing the benefits of psilocybin and related drugs to some of the era’s most prominent artists, including Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. In the years that followed, it’s rumored many of the biggest-name artists, actors, and musicians, including The Beatles and Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, were inspired by psychedelics. Today, amid a psychedelic renaissance, an increasing number of young creatives, from Harry Styles to A$AP Rocky, are admitting to psychedelic experimentation in service of their art, too. Now, modern researchers are attempting to pick up where Leary left off to determine the realities of this association: Does psychedelic use impact creativity?  

So far, research on the matter remains limited and has yet to offer definitive answers. “There is mixed evidence about the effects of moderate or large doses of psilocybin and closely related drugs, like LSD and ayahuasca, on creativity,” says Matthew Johnson, PhD, Susan Hill Ward Professor in Psychedelics and Consciousness and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “There are findings, for example, suggesting that such psychedelics can decrease, increase, or have no effect on divergent thinking, which is an aspect of creativity. Some research suggests it might decrease [creativity] in the short term and then increase [creativity] after that.”

According to Johnson, even less is known about the effects of microdoses, the small, non-hallucinogenic doses gaining in popularity at present. “We need more studies with a wider range of doses and a greater collection of tasks probing different aspects of creativity,” Johnson says. Additionally, he explains, studies need to examine more specifically what drugs like psilocybin do to creativity in particular settings.

In the interim, proponents of psychedelic use aren’t overly concerned with the research-based evidence—or lack thereof—especially with the treasure trove of anecdotal evidence that is readily available (including their own). When some of the most impressive minds in human history are vocal about the benefits of psychedelic use, it’s hard to believe the placebo effect is responsible—or even to care if it is. Apple founder Steve Jobs, for example, famously credited LSD as being one of the most profound experiences of his life. “It reinforced my sense of what was important—creating great things instead of making money, putting things back into the stream of history and of human consciousness as much as I could,” he told his biographer.

Tracy Komlos, cofounder of The Multiverse, acknowledges that while the science is important to consider, she feels that it can’t always account for these very personal experiences. “If you know you're feeling a certain way and the science says it's not possible… well, you know what you’re experiencing,” she says. Speaking only to psilocybin use, Komlos notes that those who adhere to a strict microdosing protocol consistently report experiencing greater clarity, focus, and creativity. (In a recent interview with Shroomboom, entrepreneur and advocate Alana Hadid concurred.) “Even with a sub-perceptual amount of microdosing, it helps turn off—not fully, of course—your default mode, so you're a lot clearer mentally to be in a place of creativity,” she says.  

Komlos believes macrodoses of psilocybin impact creativity, too, albeit differently—more in line with Jobs’s description of his experience with LSD. “A lot of the insights you get when you're on a macrodose are the feelings of ‘oneness,’ of connectedness to each other, connectedness to Mother Nature, kind of a euphoric feeling,” Komlos says. “In that state, it's like anything and everything is possible, so you have a feeling of limitlessness that leads to endless creativity and creation, which is extremely powerful. There's a lot of clarity for your mission and your purpose in life.”

She acknowledges, however, that everyone interacts with psychedelic substances differently. To better understand the specific effects of psilocybin on your own brain and to optimize its benefits, Komlos recommends journaling through your experiences. “Logging your feelings is really important to understanding how your body and mind are interacting with the psilocybin,” she says. And the most important thing to remember, she adds, is not to expect any particular experience at all, as such expectations may lead to resistance around whatever (equally valuable) experience you’re having instead.

Psychedelic use remains unpredictable in this way, and science has yet to unravel its myriad mysteries. But despite all we don’t know, there remains compelling evidence tying psilocybin and related drugs to enhanced creativity and other cognitive benefits that can’t be ignored. “We’re learning a lot [through science],” says Komlos. “But there's definitely a common thread running through the experience of people who are doing it—there are a lot of similarities in their journeys, and a lot of insights come from those moments. They're expansive experiences.”