Personality changes following first-time psychedelic use in college students in Germany

AI Summary

In a yearlong Berlin student cohort (102 first-time users, 1066 never-users), small increases in Openness and decreases in Conscientiousness were observed.
After adjustment for covariates effects attenuated and statistical significance was lost after false discovery rate correction, limiting causal inference.
Exploratory moderation showed larger Neuroticism reductions among first-time users with psychiatric diagnoses, though findings remain tentative.

Npj Ment Health Res. 2026 Jul 10;5(1):34. doi: 10.1038/s44184-026-00228-z.

ABSTRACT

Psychedelics may influence personality traits, but longitudinal evidence on first-time use outside clinical settings remains limited. We followed 102 first-time psychedelic users and 1066 never-users over one year among Berlin university students. Personality was assessed with the Big Five Inventory at baseline and follow-up. Linear mixed-effects models showed small relative increases in Openness and decreases in Conscientiousness among first-time users. After adjustment for age, sex, income, psychiatric diagnosis, and baseline substance-use burden, estimates were attenuated but directionally similar (Openness: beta = 0.19, SE = 0.10, p = 0.06; Conscientiousness: beta = -0.20, SE = 0.10, p = 0.05; FDR-adjusted p = 0.16 for both). Change was not clearly different from first-time users of other illicit substances. In exploratory moderation analyses, first-time users with psychiatric diagnoses showed larger Neuroticism reductions. Findings suggest small personality changes after first-time psychedelic use, with limited causal interpretability.

PMID:42426381 | DOI:10.1038/s44184-026-00228-z

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