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(https://www.psypost.org/adolescent-cannabis-use-may-heighten-sensitivity-to-amphetamines-cognitive-effects-in-adulthood/) Adolescent cannabis use may heighten sensitivity to amphetamine’s cognitive effects in adulthood
Feb 18th 2025, 08:00

A new study published in (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-024-06676-9) Psychopharmacology suggests that while teenage exposure to THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, may have limited long-term effects on certain thinking skills, it could make individuals more susceptible to the cognitive impacts of stimulants later in life. A team of scientists found that rats exposed to THC during adolescence showed a heightened response to amphetamine in a decision-making task as adults. This increased sensitivity to amphetamine did not appear to be linked to changes in typical dopamine pathways in the brain that are often associated with drug use.
Cannabis is a plant that contains a variety of chemical compounds. One of the most well-known and studied of these compounds is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. THC is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, meaning it is the substance that is mainly responsible for the “high” or altered mental state that people experience when they use cannabis. When someone consumes cannabis, THC enters the bloodstream and travels to the brain. In the brain, THC interacts with a system called the endocannabinoid system. This system plays a role in regulating various bodily functions, including mood, appetite, sleep, and even cognitive processes like learning and memory.
Cannabis is one of the most commonly used recreational drugs by adolescents, and in many parts of the world, it is becoming more readily available due to changing laws and social attitudes. While cannabis is often perceived as relatively harmless, there is accumulating evidence suggesting that early exposure to cannabis, and specifically THC, might have negative consequences for brain development and mental health. Human studies have shown correlations between adolescent cannabis use and later problems with thinking and memory, as well as an increased risk of developing serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and addiction.
However, scientists face a significant challenge when trying to understand these links in humans. It’s difficult to definitively prove that cannabis use causes these later problems. For example, individuals who start using cannabis in their teens might also have other factors in their lives, such as genetic predispositions or challenging environments, that could contribute to both their drug use and any later cognitive or mental health issues. To overcome this hurdle and establish whether THC itself plays a direct role in these potential long-term effects, researchers often use animal models, like rats. Studying rats allows scientists to carefully control THC exposure and examine its impact on brain development and function in a way that is not possible in human studies.
Adolescence is a particularly sensitive time for brain development. During this period, the brain undergoes significant changes, especially in areas like the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for complex cognitive functions like decision-making, planning, and impulse control. The prefrontal cortex and its connections that rely on dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in reward, motivation, and cognition, continue to mature throughout adolescence. By using a rat model, the researchers aimed to investigate whether exposing adolescent brains to THC could specifically disrupt the development of dopamine-related cognitive functions controlled by the prefrontal cortex, and whether these disruptions would persist into adulthood.
“Cannabis is increasingly available to people of all ages, and some evidence from humans and animals suggest that when adolescents use this drug, it may have long-lasting effects on their brain by disrupting normal brain development that occurs in adolescence. If true, this would be of major public health concern, and I believe we need to know more about what cannabis, and the main psychoactive drug in it THC, does to brain development and risk for psychiatric disease,” said study author (https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/mahlerlab/) Stephen V. Mahler, a professor and director of the Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience at the University of California, Irvine.
The researchers used a group of Long Evans rats, a common type used in research. Some of these rats were given daily injections of THC throughout their adolescence (from 30 to 43 days after birth, roughly equivalent to human adolescence). Another group of rats received injections of a vehicle solution without THC, serving as a control group. After a period of over three weeks to ensure the THC was completely cleared from their systems, the rats were tested on a series of cognitive tasks in adulthood.
First, the rats were trained to associate pressing levers with receiving banana-flavored food pellets. This initial training ensured all rats understood the basic task of working for food rewards. Next, the rats were trained in a visual cue discrimination task. In this task, lights above the levers signaled which lever to press to get a food pellet. The researchers measured how quickly the rats learned this new rule, counting the number of trials and errors made before reaching a consistent level of correct responses.
Following the visual cue task, the rats were tested on a set-shifting task. This task assessed cognitive flexibility – the ability to switch between different rules. Initially, rats were trained to press a lever based on the visual cues, as in the previous task. Then, without warning, the rule changed. The visual cues became irrelevant, and the rats had to learn that now only pressing a specific lever (either the left or the right, regardless of the light) would result in a reward. The researchers again measured trials and errors to see how well the rats adapted to the new rule.
Finally, the rats participated in a probabilistic discounting task, which assesses decision-making under conditions of risk and reward. In this task, rats could choose between two levers. One lever always provided a small reward (one food pellet). The other lever offered a larger potential reward (four food pellets), but the chance of actually receiving the larger reward decreased throughout the testing session. In the beginning, the “risky” lever almost always delivered the four pellets. But as the session progressed, the probability of getting the large reward from the risky lever became lower and lower, sometimes delivering nothing. This task measures how rats weigh the certainty of a smaller reward against the possibility of a larger, but less probable, reward.
After the baseline cognitive testing, the rats were given amphetamine challenges. Amphetamine, a stimulant drug, is known to affect dopamine systems in the brain and can influence cognition and decision-making. The rats were given different doses of amphetamine, or a saline injection as a control, before performing the probabilistic discounting task again. This allowed the researchers to see how amphetamine affected decision-making in rats with and without a history of adolescent THC exposure.
In a separate set of experiments, the researchers used a more specialized technique called chemogenetics. In these experiments, rats were genetically modified to allow for the activation of specific dopamine neurons in the brain using a drug called clozapine-N-oxide (CNO). Some rats had these modifications targeted to dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a key brain region involved in reward and motivation. Others had modifications targeting dopamine neurons projecting from the VTA to the prefrontal cortex. These rats were also tested on the probabilistic discounting task after receiving CNO or a control injection, to see if directly stimulating these specific dopamine pathways would affect their decision-making.
The researchers found that adolescent THC exposure had some selective effects on cognition in adulthood. Interestingly, female rats that had received THC during adolescence actually learned the initial visual cue discrimination task faster than control females. However, adolescent THC exposure did not have a major impact on performance in the set-shifting task or on baseline decision-making in the probabilistic discounting task for either male or female rats.
The most striking finding emerged when the rats were given amphetamine. Rats with a history of adolescent THC exposure showed a greater increase in “risky” choices in the probabilistic discounting task after receiving amphetamine compared to control rats. This was particularly evident in female rats. In other words, amphetamine made the THC-exposed rats more likely to persistently choose the lever with the potentially large reward, even when that reward became increasingly unlikely. This suggests that adolescent THC exposure may heighten sensitivity to the cognitive effects of amphetamine in adulthood.
“Results show relatively minor changes in attention, cognition, and decision making in individuals that had been exposed to human-relevant levels of THC throughout early adolescence. However, we found that the cognitive effects of amphetamine, a drug that is both abused and prescribed for disorders like ADHD, were potentiated in adults with a history of THC use.”
When the researchers tried to mimic the effects of amphetamine by directly stimulating VTA dopamine neurons, or VTA dopamine projections to the prefrontal cortex, using chemogenetics, they did not observe the same potentiation of risky choice. Stimulating these dopamine pathways did not significantly alter decision-making in the probabilistic discounting task in control rats, and only had a minor and somewhat inconsistent effect in THC-exposed rats. This suggests that the heightened sensitivity to amphetamine seen in THC-exposed rats might not be due to changes in the activity of these specific dopamine pathways, but rather to other mechanisms influenced by amphetamine and adolescent THC exposure.
“We were surprised that adolescent THC changed how amphetamine altered decision making, but that these changes did not seem to result from alterations in major dopamine neuron populations or pathways, since amphetamine is usually thought of as a drug that strongly increases dopamine neurotransmission. This pattern of results could indicate that adolescent THC instead alters other cognition-related brain regions, or other neurotransmitter systems impacted by amphetamine such as norepinephrine or serotonin.”
Looking ahead, the researchers plan to continue their investigations to better understand how early exposure to a substance found in cannabis alters brain development and behavior. Future studies may explore different doses, methods of administration, and additional behavioral tasks to see how these variables affect the outcomes. The scientists are also interested in uncovering the exact brain mechanisms behind these changes, including whether other parts of the brain and other signaling systems contribute to the heightened sensitivity to stimulants. This line of research is important because it provides insight into how early drug exposure might increase the risk for mental health problems later in life.
“We are continuing to study the mechanisms by which adolescent THC exposure alters neurodevelopment, leading to long-lasting changes in the brain and behavior. This basic science, but translationally-oriented work is funded by an ongoing grant from the NIH. Such basic science research sets the stage for understanding how risky behaviors like youthful drug use can lead to psychiatric disorders like addiction and depression, and for developing altogether new clinical approaches for preventing and treating psychiatric disease.”
“This project took PhD student Maricela Martinez over 3 years to complete, and would not have happened without her hard work, troubleshooting, and persistence. We also thank our international collaborator Stan Floresco, who contributed invaluable input on the planning of the project, and interpretation of the data.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-024-06676-9) Adolescent THC impacts on mPFC dopamine-mediated cognitive processes in male and female rats,” was authored by Maricela X. Martinez, Vanessa Alizo Vera, Christina M. Ruiz, Stan B. Floresco, and Stephen V. Mahler.

(https://www.psypost.org/neutral-information-about-jews-triggers-conspiracy-thinking-in-trump-voters-study-finds/) Neutral information about Jews triggers conspiracy thinking in Trump voters, study finds
Feb 18th 2025, 06:00

A study published in (https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129251318350) Political Research Quarterly has uncovered a notable link between antisemitism and conspiracy theories, with significant differences based on political affiliation. For supporters of Joe Biden, exposure to conspiracy content heightened their views of Jewish political and economic power, while for supporters of Donald Trump, even impartial information about Jewish history led to increased belief in conspiracy theories.
“I have been concerned by rising levels of antisemitism in mainstream political discourse over the past decade. In particular, it seemed to be the case that the rising tides of conspiracy beliefs and right-wing populism were ushering in a growing tolerance for antisemitic statements, actions, and beliefs,” explained study author (https://jacobslewis.com/) Jacob S. Lewis ((https://bsky.app/profile/profjslewis.bsky.social) @profjslewis), an assistant professor at Washington State University.
It has been observed that conspiracy theories, antisemitism, and populism often appear together, but the reasons behind these connections and the direction of any causal relationships remained unclear. For example, it was unknown whether the current surge in antisemitism is a consequence of populism, or if these are all separate symptoms of a deeper, unexamined societal issue. This lack of clarity is especially troubling given the real-world dangers of antisemitic conspiracy theories.
In his new study, Lewis aimed to experimentally investigate the causal links between these phenomena and how they operate across different political groups. Understanding these relationships is important for addressing the growing problem of political antisemitism and its intersection with conspiracy beliefs in contemporary society.
Lewis conducted two online survey experiments in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Participants in the United States were recruited through an online platform called Prolific and were specifically chosen to represent both supporters of Joe Biden and Donald Trump from the 2020 presidential election. Approximately 1,000 individuals who reported voting for Joe Biden and 1,000 who voted for Donald Trump were included in the study from the U.S.
In the United Kingdom, a similar approach was used, targeting voters who supported either left-leaning or right-leaning political parties. Around 800 supporters of left-wing parties and 800 supporters of right-wing parties were recruited. This method of sampling ensured representation from different parts of the political spectrum in both countries.
The surveys used what is known as a “stacked treatment design.” This means that participants were randomly assigned to receive different pieces of information, called “vignettes,” at different points in the survey.
There were three main types of vignettes, each with a corresponding control condition where participants received neutral information instead. The first type of vignette was about populism, focusing on how politicians can accumulate wealth despite economic inequality. In the U.S. version, this vignette discussed efforts to regulate stock trading by politicians, mentioning both Democratic and Republican involvement. The UK version highlighted politicians gaining lucrative positions in private companies.
The second type of vignette was about conspiracy theories, specifically focusing on the World Economic Forum and its “Great Reset” plan, a topic frequently associated with various conspiracy narratives online. This vignette included images of social media posts spreading these conspiracy theories.
The third type of vignette was designed to make Jewish identity noticeable without being negative or conspiratorial. This vignette presented factual information about Jewish immigration to the United States and the contributions of Jewish people to the development of Hollywood and Broadway, accompanied by pictures of well-known Jewish actors.
Participants were randomly assigned to either receive one of these vignettes or a neutral control vignette at each of the three stages of the survey. The control vignettes contained general, non-political information, such as infrastructure improvement efforts in the U.S., economic inequality in the UK, climate change and wildfires, and airline flight cancellations. This design resulted in eight different groups of participants, each receiving a unique combination of vignettes or control information, allowing for the examination of how exposure to populism, conspiracy theories, and information about Jewish people might interact.
To measure the impact of these vignettes, Lewis used several sets of questions. To assess antisemitic attitudes, participants were asked to rate the political and economic influence of various groups, including Jewish people, on a scale from “none at all” to “too much.” The phrase “too much” was intentionally used to tap into the idea that certain groups might have undue or unwarranted power.
Participants were also asked to indicate their agreement with a series of statements about free speech, including some statements that echoed antisemitic tropes about Jewish control and censorship. Additionally, to further gauge antisemitic beliefs, participants were presented with classic antisemitic statements from the Anti-Defamation League, such as whether Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their country of residence.
Populist attitudes were measured using statements reflecting a black-and-white view of politics, such as “Politics is a battle between good and evil,” and beliefs that the system is rigged against ordinary people. Finally, to measure belief in conspiracy theories, participants were asked to rate how likely they thought various conspiracy theories were to be true. These theories included those about COVID-19 being intentionally created “to control normal Americans” and the 9/11 attacks being a false flag operation.
The study’s results revealed distinct patterns in the United States, particularly among supporters of different political candidates.
“It is worth noting that this is exploratory research about antisemitism, conspiracy beliefs, and populism,” Lewis told PsyPost. “The core question revolves around, essentially, what causes what? There’s good reason to believe they are interlinked, but it is difficult to know whether they are causally related. I use a novel approach to survey experiments and find that, in the American context, the causal pathways between antisemitism and conspiracy belief are different on the political left and the political right.”
Among individuals who voted for Joe Biden in 2020, exposure to the conspiracy theory vignette led to a statistically significant increase in their perception of Jewish people’s political and economic power. This suggests that for this group, being primed with conspiracy-related information made them more likely to attribute excessive power to Jewish people.
For Trump supporters, the findings were somewhat unexpected. Even though the vignette about Jewish people provided neutral and positive information about their contributions to culture, it led these respondents to show an increased belief in conspiracy theories. In other words, when Trump voters were simply reminded of Jewish identity, they became more inclined to think that events such as the COVID-19 outbreak were deliberately planned to control the public and that the war in Ukraine was orchestrated as part of a Zionist plot. This result implies that, for this group, drawing attention to Jewish heritage—even in a nonnegative way—can serve as a trigger that amplifies preexisting conspiratorial ideas.
Further statistical analyses, which looked at the combined effects of different types of information, supported this pattern. They revealed that exposure to the conspiracy-themed vignette tended to raise perceptions of Jewish power among participants regardless of their political leanings. However, when the “Jewish” vignette was combined with either populism or conspiracy messages, the boost in conspiracy beliefs was particularly pronounced among Trump supporters.
“When supporters of Donald Trump (in the 2020 election) are exposed to brief vignettes about Jewish Americans, they become substantially more likely to endorse certain conspiracy theories,” Lewis said. “And when supporters of Joe Biden (in the 2020 election) are exposed to a brief vignette about the ‘Great Reset’ World Economic Forum conspiracy theory, they increase their evaluations of Jewish economic and political power.”
Notably, the study conducted in the United Kingdom did not find similar effects. Participants in the UK, regardless of their political leaning, did not show significant changes in their attitudes or beliefs in response to the vignettes. Furthermore, UK participants generally expressed lower levels of belief in conspiracy theories compared to their American counterparts, particularly when compared to right-leaning Americans.
While UK participants showed lower overall endorsement of conspiracy theories, there was an interesting divergence regarding a classic antisemitic trope: left-leaning voters in the UK were more likely than left-leaning voters in the US to agree with the statement that “Jews are more loyal to Israel than to [their country].”
It is also important to note that the vignette designed to evoke populist sentiments did not have a noticeable effect on participants’ responses, which was unexpected given existing research linking populism and conspiracy beliefs. Future studies might explore different ways of priming populist attitudes.
“I wanted to also measure the relationship of antisemitism and conspiracy belief to populism. I found that my populist vignettes and questions were not at all effective,” Lewis noted. “This might be because I had a bad theoretical assumption (about there being a linkage), or it might be something to do with my research design. I’m not sure right now!”
The study also focused on voters from the 2020 election, and further research could examine how these relationships evolve with changing political alignments. “As with all research, this study is limited by when it was done,” Lewis said. “We have seen an incredible political upheaval over the past ten years, and political affiliations with the ‘right’ or ‘left’ have been changing rapidly. This research occurred over the course of a year during the Biden administration.”
“Would the results differ now, following the re-election of Trump? Moreover, there are questions about selection (who decides to take a survey), measurement, and more. I see this study as a foundation for future research, not a final answer. It is also worth noting that this research builds in existing work by Royden and Hersh that was published in Political Research Quarterly.”
“My hope is that this research will contribute to building a sincere interest within the field of political science to study antisemitism in the same way that we study other forms of bias and hatred,” Lewis added.
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129251318350) Conspiracy and Antisemitism in Contemporary Political Attitudes,” was published February 1, 2025.

(https://www.psypost.org/could-blaming-others-be-a-link-between-attention-problems-and-social-media-addiction/) Could blaming others be a link between attention problems and social media addiction?
Feb 17th 2025, 14:00

Young adults who struggle with attention difficulties may be more prone to becoming addicted to social media, and a new study suggests a possible reason why. In a study recently published in (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104338) Acta Psychologica, researchers found that the tendency to blame others for negative situations might explain some of the connection between attention deficit symptoms and social media addiction. This suggests that how people manage their emotions could play a role in the development of addictive social media habits in those with attention challenges.
Social media has become an integral part of modern life, offering connection, entertainment, and information. However, for some individuals, social media use can become excessive and problematic, developing into what is known as social media addiction.
Researchers are working to understand why some people are more susceptible to this addiction than others. One area of interest is the relationship between social media addiction and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD, a condition characterized by difficulties with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Previous studies have indicated a link between ADHD symptoms and increased social media use, but the reasons behind this connection have remained unclear. To gain a better understanding, a team of researchers decided to investigate whether emotional regulation strategies might bridge the gap between ADHD symptoms and social media addiction.
“Social media use is highly popular nowadays, and problematic social media use has become an important health issue. Additionally, with the growing awareness of ADHD, an increasing number of adults have been identified with corresponding characteristics,” (https://researchoutput.ncku.edu.tw/en/persons/chung-ying-lin) Chung-Ying Lin, a professor at National Cheng Kung University, and (https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=zh-TW&user=1LM7CAkAAAAJ) Po-Ching Huang, an assistant professor at Hong Kong Metropolitan University.
“Given that problematic social media use may have prolonged detrimental effects, it is important to know how problematic social media could be developed and if there is any mechanism that can explain the relationship between factors (e.g., inattention/hyperactivity symptoms in our study) and problematic social media use.”
To explore this, the researchers recruited 96 young adults from university campuses. The participants were divided into two groups: one group of 35 individuals who showed probable symptoms of ADHD, and another group of 61 individuals who did not. The researchers identified the probable ADHD group using a self-report questionnaire designed to screen for ADHD symptoms in adults. This questionnaire, called the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, asks about common ADHD symptoms such as difficulty focusing, being easily distracted, feeling restless, and acting impulsively. This scale breaks down ADHD symptoms into two categories: attention deficit symptoms (like difficulty organizing tasks) and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms (like feeling fidgety).
All participants, regardless of group, completed two additional questionnaires. First, they completed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, which is a six-item tool used to assess social media addiction. This scale asks about behaviors like feeling preoccupied with social media, using it to escape problems, and feeling anxious when unable to use it. Participants rated how often they experienced these issues.
Finally, participants completed a portion of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. This questionnaire assesses different strategies people use to manage their emotions when faced with difficult situations. For this study, the researchers focused on two specific emotional regulation strategies: self-blame and blaming others. The self-blame section asked about tendencies to blame oneself for negative events, while the blaming others section asked about tendencies to blame other people.
In addition to these questionnaires, the researchers also collected basic demographic information from the participants, such as their age, gender, and how much time they spent on social media on weekdays and weekends.
The researchers found that the probable ADHD group had a higher proportion of males, reported using self-blame as an emotional regulation strategy more often, and scored higher on the social media addiction scale. There was no significant difference between the groups in age, time spent on social media, or the use of blaming others as an emotional regulation strategy.
Next, the researchers looked at the relationships between the different measures across all participants. They found that both attention deficit symptoms and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms were significantly linked to social media addiction. This means that individuals who reported more symptoms of either attention deficit or hyperactivity/impulsivity also tended to score higher on the social media addiction scale.
Similarly, both types of ADHD symptoms were also associated with both emotional regulation strategies, self-blame and blaming others. However, the link between hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms and self-blame was not statistically strong.
Interestingly, while self-blame was linked to both attention deficit and blaming others, it was not directly linked to social media addiction in this study. Blaming others, on the other hand, was linked to both ADHD symptoms and social media addiction.
To understand the relationships more deeply, the researchers used a statistical method called mediation analysis. This technique helps to determine if one variable explains the relationship between two other variables. In this case, they wanted to see if self-blame and blaming others acted as mediators in the relationship between ADHD symptoms and social media addiction. The analysis confirmed that blaming others was a significant mediator in the relationship between attention deficit symptoms and social media addiction.
This suggests that part of the reason why individuals with attention deficit symptoms might be more prone to social media addiction is because they tend to blame others when things go wrong, and this external blaming behavior might contribute to their addictive social media use. However, blaming others did not mediate the relationship between hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms and social media addiction.
“Hyperactivity and inattention symptoms may contribute to the development of problematic social media use,” Huang and Lin told PsyPost. “Moreover, people with inattention problems may increase their use of social media via emotional regulation strategy of blaming others, which is a commonly observed externalizing behavior in individuals with ADHD. That is, they may want to use more social media to blame others online, and this may further exacerbate their problematic social media use.”
“Focusing on ADHD symptoms rather than the diagnosis itself means that the findings apply not only to individuals with ADHD but also to those who exhibit these symptoms without an official diagnosis. Therefore, based on these findings, young adults with hyperactivity and inattention symptoms should pay closer attentions to their emotional regulation strategies and monitor their social media use to prevent the development of problematic behaviors.”
This study has some limitations that should be considered when interpreting the findings. For instance, the study was conducted at a single point in time, meaning researchers cannot determine cause and effect. It is possible that attention deficit symptoms lead to blaming others and then to social media addiction, but it is also possible that social media addiction could worsen attention symptoms or influence emotional regulation strategies, or that other factors are at play. Future studies that follow participants over time would be needed to understand the direction of these relationships.
Despite this limitations, the study provides valuable insights into the potential link between ADHD symptoms, emotional regulation, and social media addiction. Future research could explore these relationships further, perhaps examining different types of emotional regulation strategies, investigating the role of cultural background, and developing interventions to help individuals with ADHD symptoms manage their emotional regulation and social media use in healthier ways
“We continue to study the development of various forms of problematic digital use, such as problematic gaming or YouTube use,” Huang and Lin said. “Meanwhile, we are committed to explore the potential health-related consequences of problematic digital use and focus on diverse populations (e.g., individuals with mental health issues). Currently, most of the studies in this field are cross-sectional designed, and we are conducting longitudinal studies to provide stronger evidence in explaining the causality relationships between key variables.”
“With its multiple functions, digital technology has become highly prevalent across all age groups. However, its problematic use has been associated with various health-related consequences. As research continues to explore the underlying mechanisms, these findings should be integrated into routine health education to raise public awareness and help individuals recognize potential health hazards.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104338) The associations between levels of inattention/hyperactivity and social media addiction among young adults: The mediating role of emotional regulation strategies in self-blame and blaming others,” was authored by Tzu-Yu Liu, Wei-Ting Ko, Mark D. Griffiths, Amir H. Pakpour, Servet Üztemur, Daniel Kwasi Ahorsu, Po-Ching Huang, and Chung-Ying Lin.

(https://www.psypost.org/perfectionism-and-sexual-well-being-new-research-untangles-the-complex-connections-in-romantic-relationships/) Perfectionism and sexual well-being: New research untangles the complex connections in romantic relationships
Feb 17th 2025, 12:00

A new study published in (https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2025.2456117) The Journal of Sex Research has shed light on how different types of perfectionism relate to the intimate lives of couples. The research found that when individuals hold themselves to high standards, they are more likely to experience strong desire for their partner, while feeling that others expect perfection from them is linked to lower sexual functioning and higher sexual distress. The study also revealed that these effects can sometimes spill over to affect a partner’s experience, especially for men.
Previous studies have explored the connection between perfectionism and sexual function, but these investigations often focused primarily on women and did not fully consider the different facets of perfectionism. Much of the existing research has also looked at individuals in isolation, rather than considering the dynamics within a couple. To address these gaps in our understanding, the researchers behind the new study decided to examine how different types of perfectionism affect sexual function, sexual desire focused on the partner, and sexual distress in both partners within a relationship. 
“As social beings, relationships are an integral part of our lives. Relationships are complex and have a significant impact on our psychological, emotional and physical well-being,” said study author Noémie Viens, a graduate student in clinical psychology at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and member of the Anxiety and Perfectionism Research Lab and (https://saillab.ca/) the Sexual and Intimate Life Research Lab.
“Yet, the quality and stability of a relationship can quickly be put to the test by a multitude of factors. In Canada, 20% of the population will suffer from a mental health problem at some point in their lives. Psychological disorders can lead to or exacerbate relationship difficulties, which is why I chose to combine these two interests – mental health and couples – for my thesis.” 
“Perfectionism is a personality trait found among many mental health problems and is strongly associated with anxiety. It was particularly interesting for me to be able to study the impact of this trait on a population that has yet to be studied – couples.”
To conduct their research, the investigators recruited a sample of 308 adult couples who were living together. The couples were asked to take part in an online study that spanned one year. At the start of the study and again one year later, both partners completed a series of online questionnaires. These surveys asked questions designed to measure the three types of perfectionism. Participants were asked to reflect on their own tendency to set very high standards for themselves (self-oriented perfectionism), to see if they often expect perfection from their partners (other-oriented perfectionism), and to report whether they feel that others hold them to impossibly high standards (socially prescribed perfectionism).
In addition to measuring perfectionism, the questionnaires assessed several aspects of the participants’ sexual lives. They measured partner-focused sexual desire, which is the level of sexual desire directed specifically towards one’s partner. They also assessed sexual function, which encompasses various aspects of sexual experience including arousal, orgasm, and overall sexual satisfaction. Finally, the researchers measured sexual distress, which refers to negative feelings and concerns related to one’s sexual life, such as anxiety, frustration, or dissatisfaction.
To analyze the data, the researchers used a statistical technique called the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. This method is particularly useful for studying couples because it allows researchers to look at how one person’s characteristics affect their own outcomes (this is called the “actor effect”) and how one person’s characteristics affect their partner’s outcomes (this is called the “partner effect”). 
The results of the study showed that self-oriented perfectionism was positively linked to an individual’s own partner-focused sexual desire. This was observed both at the initial assessment and again one year later, suggesting a consistent association over time. In other words, individuals who set high personal standards for themselves also tended to report a stronger sexual desire for their partners.
In contrast, socially-prescribed perfectionism, the feeling of needing to meet others’ expectations of perfection, showed a different pattern of associations. This type of perfectionism was negatively related to an individual’s own sexual function at the initial assessment. This means that individuals who felt pressured by others to be perfect were more likely to experience difficulties with their sexual function. 
Furthermore, socially-prescribed perfectionism was positively associated with an individual’s own sexual distress, both at the initial assessment and one year later. This suggests that feeling pressured to be perfect by others is linked to greater sexual distress, and this distress can persist over time.
Interestingly, the researchers also found a connection between men’s socially-prescribed perfectionism and their partners’ sexual distress. Specifically, at the initial assessment, men who reported higher levels of socially-prescribed perfectionism had partners who reported higher levels of sexual distress. This suggests that when men feel pressured to be perfect by others, it may contribute to negative sexual experiences for their partners.
“Perfectionism has often been examined at the individual level, and considered as a personality trait that mostly affects the individual himself,” Viens told PsyPost. “Yet, it does have social and interpersonal components that may significantly influence the intimate and sexual life of people in romantic relationships. Perfectionism, but especially socially-prescribed perfectionism, is often rooted in a need to belong, to be loved and to be accepted by others.” 
“However, the fear of failure and the quest for perfection often leads to the opposite: a disconnection with others as well as increased psychological distress. Such difficulties may interfere with the sexual life of individuals by reinforcing one’s feeling of inadequacy and generating negative thoughts and affects during sexual activity with a lover.”
One aspect that surprised the researchers was the lack of a significant connection between other-oriented perfectionism and the partner’s sexual difficulties.
“No study so far had investigated the effects between one’s other-oriented perfectionism and a partner’s sexual difficulties,” Viens said. “Given the theoretical propositions of some authors, we believed that expecting perfection from one’s partner could be related to the partners’ higher sexual problems, by generating greater pressure and/or anxiety in the partner.” 
“Yet, our analyses revealed no significant results, suggesting that although other-oriented perfectionism may be associated with how individuals relate to their partner or perceive their partner’s behavior, it might not necessarily result in noticeable changes in their partner’s sexuality. Thus, since other-oriented perfectionism is not directly related to partners’ sexual outcomes, possible mediators could mediate the partner associations between other-oriented perfectionism and sexual outcomes. Our next study will notably test the mediating role of emotional intimacy on the associations between perfectionism and sexual satisfaction!”
While this study offers valuable insights, it is important to consider its limitations. The research focused on couples who lived together, so the findings may not apply in the same way to couples who are not cohabiting or to individuals who are single. 
Another caveat is that the different types of perfectionism are related to each other to some extent. “This means that, in the context of real life, when we can’t statistically control for the influence of one dimension onto another one, we, as perfectionist individuals, are more likely to present high levels of all three perfectionism dimensions at the same time,” Viens explained. “Thus, the idea that self-oriented perfectionism is solely positive is only theoretically true.”
The researchers believe that a deeper understanding of these complex dynamics can inform the development of more effective support and interventions for couples facing sexual difficulties and for individuals struggling with problematic perfectionistic tendencies. 
“After my graduate studies, my goal is to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship in the field of couples and sexuality and hopefully obtain a tenure track position to continue my research about the impacts of psychopathology on the relationship and sexual well-being of couples,” Viens said.
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2025.2456117) Multidimensional Perfectionism and Sexual Difficulties Among Adult Couples: A Dyadic Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study,” was authored by Noémie Viens, Frédéric Langlois, and Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel.

(https://www.psypost.org/harmine-has-no-major-psychoactive-effects/) Harmine has no major psychoactive effects
Feb 17th 2025, 10:00

A study examining the effects of harmine, a major component of ayahuasca, found that it produces no significant psychoactive effects in doses up to 500 mg. None of the participants experienced hallucinations or any notable psychoactive effects typically associated with ayahuasca. There were no changes in the mental status of any participants, although a few reported drowsiness. The paper was published in the (https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811241273772) Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used by indigenous Amazonian tribes for spiritual and medicinal purposes. It contains DMT (dimethyltryptamine) from the Psychotria viridis plant and monoamine oxidase inhibitors from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, which prevent the breakdown of certain neurotransmitters. These substances produce intense hallucinations and altered states of consciousness in individuals consuming ayahuasca. The experience is often described as deeply introspective, emotional, and potentially therapeutic but can also cause nausea, vomiting, and psychological distress.
One of the monoamine oxidase inhibitors found in ayahuasca is harmine, a beta-carboline alkaloid present in Banisteriopsis caapi. It acts as a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A, an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine in the brain and other tissues. As a reversible inhibitor, harmine temporarily binds to monoamine oxidase A, allowing the enzyme to function again once harmine is metabolized (in contrast, irreversible inhibitors permanently bind to the enzyme they inhibit).
Study author Jessica L. Ables and her colleagues sought to determine whether pharmaceutical-grade harmine (in the form of harmine hydrochloride) has psychoactive effects. They were also interested in identifying the doses at which these effects might occur and examining the relationship between harmine dosage and side effects.
The study involved 25 healthy volunteers recruited from the greater New York area, aged between 18 and 55 years. The researchers assigned 10 participants to receive 100 mg of harmine, another 10 to receive 200 mg, four to receive 300 mg, and one to receive 500 mg. Harmine was administered orally in capsule form as a single dose.
Participants were required to abstain from food and drink (except water) after midnight on the day of the study and to fast for the remainder of the day. At 9:00 AM on the study day, they took their assigned harmine capsules. Following this, they underwent various assessments at multiple time points. At 9:00 AM the following day, participants returned for follow-up medical assessments and provided final blood and urine samples. At 11:00 AM, they were offered a snack, and at 1:00 PM, they received a 350–450 calorie meal.
Participants provided blood and urine samples and completed assessments of mood (the Profile of Mood States Bipolar Scale), acute behavioral changes (the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale), subjective state changes (using visual analogue scales), perceived stress (the Perceived Stress Scale), perceived side effects (the Patient Rated Inventory of Side Effects), and suicidal ideation (the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale). The researchers also continuously observed participants during the study visit and monitored their vital signs every half hour for the first four hours after harmine intake, then hourly for the remainder of the visit.
Results showed that harmine produced no psychoactive effects. No participants reported, or were observed to experience, hallucinations or any other significant psychoactive effects associated with ayahuasca ingestion. There were also no significant changes in participants’ mental status, except that four participants reported feeling drowsy.
Aside from this, harmine ingestion resulted in mild adverse effects in two participants who received 100 mg. Five participants in the 200 mg group experienced mild to moderate adverse effects, and the pattern was similar for doses above 200 mg. The most common side effect was vomiting, followed by impaired concentration and drowsiness.
“We conclude that a single oral dose of harmine HCl below 200mg or 2.7mg/kg is generally well-tolerated in healthy young adults and that harmine itself is not the principal psychoactive component of Ayahuasca. Harmine, as part of the total β-carboline and alkaloid load in Ayahuasca, likely contributes to the vomiting, and perhaps some of the sedation, associated with Ayahuasca ingestion, but does not likely contribute to diarrhea,” study authors wrote.
The study sheds light on the effects of harmine. However, it was open-label, meaning participants knew what they were taking, which could have influenced the results. Additionally, the study was conducted on a very small group of participants. The findings of a placebo-controlled study with a larger sample size might differ.
The paper, “(https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811241273772) A Phase 1 single ascending dose study of pure oral harmine in healthy volunteers,” was authored by Jessica L Ables, Leah Israel, Olivia Wood, Usha Govindarajulu, Rachel T Fremont, Ronjon Banerjee, Hongtao Liu, Jeremy Cohen, Peng Wang, Kunal Kumar, Geming Lu, Robert J DeVita, Adolfo Garcia-Ocaña, James W Murrough, and Andrew F Stewart.

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

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