--- title: "Microdosing Acid Doesn’t Have Any Benefits, Say Scientists With No Sense of Fun" description: "There are apparently some drug researchers who hate fun and think that microdosing is fake. " date: "2022-02-19" modified: "2022-02-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/microdosing-fake" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "health" - "lsd" - "microdosing" - "psychedelics" --- # Microdosing Acid Doesn’t Have Any Benefits, Say Scientists With No Sense of Fun ![There are apparently some drug researchers who hate fun and think that microdosing is fake. ]() *\Image: Getty Images\* There are apparently some drug researchers who hate fun and think that microdosing psychedelics has no benefits. A new study, [published in the *Addiction Biology* journal](), claims that there are no cognitive or performance-ehancing effects in participants who took small amounts — commonly known as "microdoses" — of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Researchers at the University of Chicago — who, it's perhaps worth noting, got funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Health — conducted a double-blind controlled study with one group that actually took acid and one that took a placebo at three or four-day intervals. Respondents reported "feeling a drug effect" from the active dosages, which, [as one Twitter user noted](), appeared to be slightly above the average microdose. Though the study admitted that repeatedly taking such low doses were safe for "healthy volunteers," they nevertheless found that the practiced produced "negligible changes in mood or cognition." https://twitter.com/bigrockbigriver/status/1494594679849078784 This study, to be clear, isn't very surprising — if addiction researchers are looking narrowly into whether or not microdosing is dangerous and/or beneficial, they're not likely to find anything compelling in either direction. While [microdosing acid]() and psilocybin mushrooms have become hugely popular over the last decade, the fact remains that psychedelic drugs have traditionally been used either for spiritual or existential experiences or, of course, to *have some fun*. If they increase productivity or creativity at work, that'd be great, but there are a lot of other valid reasons to pop a tab. This finding may suggest that LSD doesn't hack your brain into being more productive, in other words, but at least it's safe. **READ MORE:** [Repeated low doses of LSD in healthy adults: A placebo-controlled, dose–response study]() \[*Addiction Biology*\] **More on microdosing:** [*Silicon Valley CEO Fired for Microdosing LSD at Work*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()