Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing
Both microdose and placebo groups reported improved wellbeing, but the difference between them was negligible — indicating that much of the perceived benefit of microdosing is driven by expectation rather than pharmacology.
- Institution
- Imperial College London
- Design
- Self-blinding, placebo-controlled citizen-science study
- Sample size
- 191 participants
- Intervention
- Self-administered microdoses vs. placebo, self-blinding protocol
- Year
- 2021
- Condition
- Microdosing (wellbeing and cognition)
Participants sourced and dosed their own substances; reliance on self-report and an unusual self-blinding design limits precision, though the placebo control is a major strength.
An ingenious low-cost design that brought a placebo control to microdosing for the first time at scale. Its humbling result — most benefit attributable to expectancy — reshaped how the field discusses microdosing claims.
Summary written by MMI Editorial for clarity. Always consult the primary source for full methodology and results. Confidence rating reflects our assessment of evidence strength.