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<td><span style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:20px;font-weight:bold;">PsyPost – Psychology News</span></td>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/congressional-speeches-have-shifted-away-from-evidence-based-rhetoric/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Congressional speeches have shifted away from evidence-based rhetoric</a>
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<p><p>A new study published in <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02136-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature Human Behaviour</a></em> has found that speeches in the U.S. Congress have increasingly relied on emotional and subjective language over the past several decades, drifting away from language grounded in facts and evidence. This shift, the researchers say, is linked to rising political polarization, declining legislative productivity, and widening income inequality.</p>
<p>The study was conducted to understand how members of Congress express different conceptions of honesty and truth in their rhetoric. The researchers, based at institutions including the University of Bristol and the University of Konstanz, were interested in what they call a “continuum of truth.” At one end is evidence-based reasoning, grounded in facts and data. At the other is intuition-based reasoning, which draws on feelings, values, and subjective experience.</p>
<p>“There is a basic conundrum about lying politicians and their perceived honesty, which is that some can be disseminating a lot of misinformation despite suffering at the ballot box,” said study author <a href="https://www.lewan.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephan Lewandowsky</a>, a professor at the University of Bristol.</p>
<p>“For example, Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-claims-database/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made more 30,000 false or misleading claims</a> during his first term, but his supporters nonetheless considered him to be honest by a 3 to 1 margin. This can be explained if people consider someone to be honest simply because they are sincere in expressing their beliefs, irrespective of their accuracy. We extended this to Congressional speeches and we found that since the mid-1970s, political speeches have gradually shifted from evidence-based rhetoric towards rhetoric that is based largely on intuition.”</p>
<p>For their study, the research team analyzed over 8 million congressional speech transcripts from 1879 to 2022. They used computational text analysis techniques to track changes in the types of language used by lawmakers. The researchers developed two dictionaries of keywords—one capturing evidence-based language (such as “proof,” “fact,” and “examine”) and another for intuition-based language (such as “believe,” “feel,” and “opinion”). They then applied a machine learning technique known as Word2Vec to generate word embeddings that represent the semantic meaning of each speech.</p>
<p>The researchers created a measure they called the EMI score, short for “evidence-minus-intuition.” A positive EMI score means a speech used more evidence-based language; a negative score means it leaned more heavily on intuition-based rhetoric. They validated this score by comparing it to human judgments of sample texts, finding a strong correlation.</p>
<p>After computing EMI scores across the full 145-year span of congressional records, the researchers found a clear and sustained drop in evidence-based language starting in the mid-1970s. The EMI score peaked in the 1975–76 legislative session and has trended downward ever since. While both political parties have shifted in this direction, the most recent sessions showed a sharper decline among Republicans.</p>
<p>This decline in evidence-based speech mirrored trends in other areas of American political life. The researchers found that the EMI score was negatively correlated with partisan polarization, as measured by ideological distance between parties in congressional voting records. They also discovered that drops in EMI scores were followed by increases in income inequality two years later, using data from the World Inequality Database. This suggests that intuition-driven rhetoric may be linked to social and economic outcomes.</p>
<p>The researchers also explored whether the decline in evidence-based language affected how productive Congress is. They looked at three measures of legislative productivity: the number of laws passed, the amount of major legislation, and a composite index combining both. In each case, lower EMI scores were associated with reduced legislative output. In other words, when lawmakers used less evidence-based language, they passed fewer and less significant laws.</p>
<p>The researchers accounted for a range of other variables that could influence productivity, such as whether one party controlled both the presidency and Congress, or shifts in public mood toward regulation. Even after controlling for these factors, the relationship between EMI scores and productivity remained.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the link between EMI and income inequality was predictive. Low EMI scores in one session of Congress tended to precede higher income inequality two years later. That wasn’t true of polarization, which moved in step with EMI but didn’t follow or precede it in a clear sequence. This suggests that the rhetorical style of Congress might play a causal role in economic inequality, even if the same cannot be said for polarization.</p>
<p>“Our main finding is that politicians use less evidence-based rhetoric now than they used to, and our study shows that this shift from evidence to intuition has been associated with increasing polarization in Congress and a decline of congressional productivity during that the period,” Lewandowsky told PsyPost.</p>
<p>The findings raise concerns about the health of democratic discourse. As the language of politics becomes more rooted in feeling and belief rather than facts and reasoning, it may become harder for lawmakers to find common ground. Evidence-based arguments can serve as a shared reference point for negotiation, but intuition-based rhetoric is harder to contest or verify, which could contribute to gridlock and partisanship.</p>
<p>The researchers suggest that several forces may be contributing to this shift. Congressional speech is often shaped by party leaders, who control the floor schedule and decide who gets to speak. Increasingly, politicians may also tailor their language to appeal to donors, media, and constituents in a polarized political environment. The rise of televised and later livestreamed congressional sessions may have encouraged performative speech designed to attract attention rather than inform debate.</p>
<p>Broader trends in American politics may also be at play. The expansion of presidential power, particularly through executive orders, has limited the role of Congress in policymaking. If Congress is seen as less powerful or influential, there may be less incentive to engage in detailed, evidence-based debate. The media environment has also shifted, with many politicians using social media platforms where belief-driven statements often attract more engagement than fact-driven ones.</p>
<p>The study does not claim to establish cause and effect, but it does show that changes in political language are strongly correlated with important social and institutional outcomes. The researchers caution that correlation does not imply causation, and they call for future studies to further examine whether and how rhetorical styles influence democratic health.</p>
<p>Still, the evidence points to a troubling pattern: as congressional speeches rely less on facts and more on feelings, Congress passes fewer laws, income inequality grows, and polarization becomes more entrenched. The researchers argue that strengthening a shared commitment to accuracy and evidence could help reverse these trends. They hope to continue exploring the links between political communication and democratic norms.</p>
<p>“I want to explore the connection between misinformation and the welfare of democracy,” Lewandowsky said. “While we have found so far is that when people accept sincerely as a marker of honesty, they become more tolerant of violations of democratic norms by politicians. Conversely, when you remind people accuracy is an important aspect of honesty, they become less tolerant of norm violations. So I am tempted to conclude that honesty and accuracy of politicians are a core component of democracy.”</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02136-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Computational analysis of US congressional speeches reveals a shift from evidence to intuition</a>,” was authored by Segun T. Aroyehun, Almog Simchon, Fabio Carrella, Jana Lasser, Stephan Lewandowsky, and David Garcia.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/landmark-study-sheds-light-on-the-psychological-roots-of-incel-beliefs-and-behaviors/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Landmark study sheds light on the psychological roots of incel beliefs and behaviors</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Jul 31st 2025, 08:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study offers the most detailed picture yet of the men who identify as “incels,” short for involuntary celibates. Contrary to the widespread image of incels as violent extremists with far-right ideologies, the research reveals a more complex and diverse population. Conducted by psychologists and social scientists from Swansea University and the University of Texas at Austin, the study found that poor mental health and adherence to incel ideology are the strongest predictors of harmful beliefs—not political extremism or online engagement alone.</p>
<p>Incels are a loosely organized online community of men who believe they are unable to form sexual or romantic relationships despite wanting them. While many suffer in silence, the most vocal members often express anger, misogyny, and despair in online forums. A small number of mass attacks in recent years, including shootings and stabbings, have been linked to incel ideology, drawing growing concern from law enforcement and anti-extremism agencies in North America and Europe. In response, governments have begun to treat incel-inspired violence as a potential form of domestic terrorism.</p>
<p>But most of what is known about incels has come from analyzing public online posts, which can exaggerate extreme views and overlook the perspectives of quieter members. The new study, published in the journal <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03161-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Archives of Sexual Behavior</a></em>, is the first to gather detailed responses from hundreds of incels using a confidential survey.</p>
<p>“The experience of singlehood—and how people cope with it—is a fascinating and underexplored area from an evolutionary psychological perspective,” said study author <a href="https://andrewthomas.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andrew G. Thomas</a>, an associate professor at Swansea University and senior associate editor of Advances in Cognitive Psychology.</p>
<p>“Much of the existing evolutionary psychology research has focused on people in relationships, mate selection, or sex differences in mating strategies. Far less attention has been given to individuals who are struggling with prolonged singlehood, even though evolutionary theory has a lot to say about these experiences. So that peaked my interest.”</p>
<p>“Second, we were drawn to the topic of incels because this group often references or misappropriates evolutionary psychological findings to support their ideology. That raised an important question for us: How accurate are these interpretations, and how do incels themselves make sense of their situation?”</p>
<p>“When we started reviewing the research on incels, we noticed a real gap in high-quality, empirical work,” Thomas explained. “Much of the existing literature consists of opinion pieces or a few qualitative studies. The quantitative studies that do exist often rely on scraping data from online forums. But this approach has serious limitations—one being that a small number of users (around 10%) generate the majority of the content, which skews the data and presents a narrow picture.”</p>
<p>“So we saw an opportunity to conduct a more rigorous, large-scale study—one that captures incels’ own perspectives on their experiences in a more representative and nuanced way.”</p>
<p>The researchers used a framework known as the “3N model” of radicalization, which focuses on three factors: unmet psychological needs, exposure to ideological narratives, and participation in reinforcing social networks. They then expanded this model to include early life experiences and personality traits that might predispose someone to become an incel or to embrace harmful attitudes once they are involved in the community.</p>
<p>Participants were recruited from incel forums, social media, and podcasts, with some help from moderators of large online communities. Respondents had to live in the UK or US, be at least 18 years old, and identify as incels. The researchers made several efforts to ensure anonymity and increase trust, including offering the option to donate participation payments to a mental health charity.</p>
<p>The study sample was diverse in terms of ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and education. Most were in their mid-20s, and while they tended to be single, unemployed, or living with parents, nearly half were either working full-time or attending school. Politically, they leaned slightly left of center on average, challenging the popular belief that most incels are aligned with the far right.</p>
<p>“Our research really challenges the common stereotypes about who incels are,” Thomas told PsyPost. “The media often portrays incels as very young, white, politically far-right, and socially isolated—unemployed or not in education or training. But our data tells a more nuanced story. While the average age is 26, there’s a wide age range. Around 40% identify as ethnic minorities, many are well-educated, and a significant number are in full-time work. Politically, they actually trend slightly to the left, which also goes against popular assumptions. So, overall, there’s far more diversity in this group than the prevailing stereotypes suggest.”</p>
<p>Respondents completed a wide range of psychological and behavioral assessments. These included measures of depression, anxiety, loneliness, rejection sensitivity, and childhood experiences of bullying or abuse. The researchers also assessed endorsement of incel ideology, beliefs about discrimination against incels, and agreement with statements justifying violence. Social networking questions covered the ways participants interacted with other incels, such as through anonymous forums, video calls, or messaging platforms.</p>
<p>The findings confirmed that mental health problems are widespread in the incel population. About a third of participants met criteria for moderate to severe depression or anxiety, and nearly half reported intense loneliness. Around 30% scored above the threshold on a screening tool for autism. A substantial number also reported traumatic childhood experiences, including bullying and abuse.</p>
<p>“Incels are typically framed in terms of the threat they pose to others, but our findings suggest they may be just as dangerous, if not more so, to themselves,” said co-author William Costello, a researcher in psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. “The extraordinarily high rates of suicidal ideation in our sample were among the most alarming findings and demand urgent attention. Likewise, the prevalence of autism traits was much higher than in the general population, pointing to the need for greater clinical attention to neurodiversity within this group.”</p>
<p>When it came to beliefs, about two-thirds of participants agreed that an “incel ideology” exists and said they personally believed in it. The most widely endorsed belief was the so-called “80/20 rule,” which claims that 80% of women are only attracted to the most attractive 20% of men. Incels frequently viewed feminists, women, the political left, and broader society as hostile toward them. Although only 25% said violence was sometimes or often justified against those who harm incels, this figure is significantly higher than general population benchmarks.</p>
<p>One of the study’s most striking results was the identification of two distinct pathways leading to harmful beliefs. The first, called the “dispositional extremism” pathway, was characterized by higher scores on traits like psychopathy and narcissism, as well as more right-wing views. These individuals were more likely to endorse misogynistic beliefs and justify violence.</p>
<p>The second pathway, described as “psychosocial vulnerability,” included those with autism traits, histories of bullying, and low self-perceived mate value. These individuals were more likely to be deeply lonely, to participate in incel communities for support, and to adopt harmful beliefs over time as their mental health declined. This group, the authors argue, is especially at risk of self-harm and suicide, and may benefit from mental health interventions that boost confidence, social skills, and dating competence.</p>
<p>In fact, suicidal ideation may pose a greater immediate threat than outward violence. About 20% of the sample reported thinking about suicide every day. The researchers note that failed romantic or sexual relationships, combined with feelings of being a burden to others, are strong risk factors for suicide among men. These same conditions, they say, may also contribute to the small number of incel-related mass attacks, which often end in the attacker’s death.</p>
<p>The researchers found that poor mental health and strong ideological beliefs were the best predictors of harmful attitudes. While time spent networking with other incels was also linked to those beliefs, it was a much weaker predictor. The data suggest that people drawn to incel forums are often already struggling—and that the forums may reinforce harmful thinking, but are not the primary cause of it.</p>
<p>“We identified two main pathways into the incel identity,” Thomas said. “One pathway is shaped by internal struggles—poor social skills, low self-esteem, and a history of bullying. The other pathway is more external and ideological, involving antisocial personality traits (like those in the dark triad) and extreme right-wing political views. And while, on average, incels trend slightly left of center, that second pathway shows that there’s still a subset of individuals with much more extreme views.”</p>
<p>“Recognizing these two distinct pathways is important because it suggests that different kinds of interventions may be needed depending on what’s drawing someone into the incel community in the first place.”</p>
<p>To explain these findings, the authors propose what they call the “dual pathways hypothesis of incel harm.” It suggests that incels with traits like narcissism and far-right political leanings may adopt misogynistic beliefs as a way of asserting dominance. In contrast, incels who are more socially isolated and emotionally vulnerable may turn to ideology as a coping mechanism for repeated rejection and exclusion.</p>
<p>“We found provisional evidence of a bidirectional relationship between mental health and ideology: the worse someone’s mental health is, the more strongly they seem to adhere to the ideology—and vice versa,” Thomas said. “As someone becomes more immersed in the ideology, their mental health appears to deteriorate. That feedback loop was really striking.”</p>
<p>“From an intervention standpoint, this is important. Ideologies are notoriously difficult to challenge directly. People are usually very resistant to letting go of deeply held worldviews. But mental health is often a more accessible entry point—people are generally more open to receiving support in that area. What’s also interesting is that poor mental health and rigid ideological thinking often share similar cognitive distortions. So when I saw this link, I thought: this might be a way in. By offering generic mental health support, we might indirectly help reduce adherence to harmful ideologies—without confronting them head-on.”</p>
<p>While the study offers unprecedented insight, it is not without limitations. Its cross-sectional design means it cannot establish causality.</p>
<p>“While this was the largest study on incels to date—and we took strong steps to ensure data quality and authenticity—it’s still cross-sectional in nature,” Thomas noted. “That means the bidirectional relationship we observed between mental health and ideology is statistical, not causal. Without longitudinal data, we can’t yet say with certainty what causes what. And currently, there’s been no longitudinal research on incels at all.”</p>
<p>“That said, we did take care to verify that participants were real individuals. We used a third-party payment provider, which meant we couldn’t see any personal details, but we could still ensure that responses came from actual people and not bots or repeat participants. So in terms of primary data quality, this study really sets a new standard.”</p>
<p>“Another limitation is that we focused exclusively on gathering the largest possible sample of self-identified incels, which meant we didn’t include a comparison group—such as non-incel men or men from other areas of the manosphere,” Thomas continued. “That’s something future research should explore, because it would allow us to isolate what’s specific to incel psychology versus what might be more broadly shared across similar groups.”</p>
<p>“For example, we know that extreme right-wing groups often target young men who are socially excluded or have a history of bullying—traits we identified in one of our pathways into inceldom. So it’s possible that what we’re really seeing are general pathways into ideological vulnerability, not something unique to incels.”</p>
<p>“In short, while the study breaks new ground, there’s definitely room to build on this work, particularly with longitudinal research and broader comparative samples.”</p>
<p>Despite the limitations, the research marks a major step forward in understanding a subculture that is often shrouded in fear and stigma. By focusing on mental health, social isolation, and the role of ideology, the findings challenge simplistic portrayals of incels as a monolithic group and open the door to more compassionate, evidence-based responses. Future research may help refine interventions, test the dual pathways hypothesis, and explore how similar patterns might emerge in other online communities centered on male identity and grievance.</p>
<p>“Our next major goal is to conduct a large-scale longitudinal study to track the development of incel ideology over time,” Thomas told PsyPost. “We want to understand how this ideology evolves—how it’s shaped by engagement with online forums, by exposure to other parts of the manosphere, and by personal life circumstances. We’re also interested in identifying protective factors—what helps some people avoid getting pulled deeper into these belief systems.”</p>
<p>“Beyond that, we’re turning our attention to interventions. Our current study identified two distinct pathways into incel identity: one rooted in social exclusion and low self-esteem, and the other linked to antisocial personality traits and extreme right wing views. These pathways point to very different intervention needs. What works for someone dealing with loneliness and a history of bullying will look very different from what’s needed for someone with dark triad traits and extremist beliefs.”</p>
<p>“As a clinician, I also work one-on-one with incel clients—but that kind of support doesn’t scale well,” Thomas said. “So, we’re now exploring simple, scalable interventions that could be delivered to larger groups. These might include behavioral disengagement strategies or even AI-supported tools. We’ve got several ideas in the pipeline.”</p>
<p>“It’s also worth noting that while some incels are firmly entrenched in the ideology and resistant to help—often describing themselves as having “accepted their fate”—others are actively seeking support. We regularly hear from incels who want change, and we want to develop interventions that can genuinely serve that group.”</p>
<p>“Looking ahead, we’re also keen to broaden the scope of our research to include other communities within the manosphere—such as pick-up artists, Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), and related groups,” Thomas explained. “Understanding how these ideologies overlap and differ will help us build a more comprehensive picture of male identity and vulnerability in the digital age.”</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03161-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dual Pathways Hypothesis of Incel Harm: A Model of Harmful Attitudes and Beliefs Among Involuntary Celibates</a>,” was authored by William Costello, Joe Whittaker, and Andrew G. Thomas.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/psilocybin-helped-aging-mice-not-just-live-longer-but-also-look-better-in-groundbreaking-new-study/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Psilocybin helped aging mice not just live longer but also “look better” in groundbreaking new study</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Jul 31st 2025, 06:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study suggests that psilocybin—the psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms—may do more than alter consciousness. Scientists report that psilocybin not only extends the lifespan of aging mice but also delays cellular aging in human cells. The research, which offers the first experimental evidence of psilocybin’s anti-aging effects, points to its potential as a treatment for age-related diseases and as a broader intervention to promote healthy aging.</p>
<p>The findings have been published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-025-00244-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature Partnering Journal (NPJ) Aging</a></em>.</p>
<p>Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic substance produced by mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus. When ingested, the compound is quickly converted in the body to psilocin, which interacts with serotonin receptors in the brain. These interactions are believed to produce the profound changes in perception and mood often associated with psychedelic experiences. In recent years, psilocybin has gained attention for its promising effects in treating depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. However, until now, little was known about how it might influence aging at a cellular or systemic level.</p>
<p>The researchers behind the new study, based at Emory University and Baylor College of Medicine, set out to explore whether psilocybin could affect biological markers of aging beyond the brain. They were motivated by a theory linking mental health and cellular aging, sometimes called <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109406" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the “psilocybin-telomere hypothesis.” </a></p>
<p>This hypothesis proposes that treatments improving mental well-being might also slow biological aging processes, such as the shortening of telomeres. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, and their erosion is associated with aging and the development of chronic diseases, including cancer and heart disease.</p>
<p>“A friend of mine had been asking me about psilocybin for months, which finally prompted me to spend some time reading what is known about it scientifically,” said study author <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-hecker-69ba1915" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louise Hecker</a>, an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine. “I was immediately fascinated by how many different clinical indications it was being used for. One article posed a hypothesis that perhaps it is acting on telomeres, which could potentially explain its durable effects. I thought – I can test that!”</p>
<p>To investigate, the researchers used both laboratory-grown human cells and living mice. For the cell studies, they treated human lung and skin fibroblasts—cells responsible for producing connective tissue—with psilocin, the active form of psilocybin. These cells were grown in culture over time, and their rate of aging was monitored by measuring how many times they could divide before reaching senescence, a state where cells stop dividing. The team found that cells exposed to psilocin lived significantly longer than untreated cells. At a lower dose, psilocin extended cellular lifespan by 29 percent, while a higher dose resulted in a 57 percent increase.</p>
<p>Beyond lifespan extension, psilocin-treated cells also showed lower levels of stress-related markers. These cells had less oxidative stress, fewer signs of DNA damage, and greater preservation of telomere length compared to untreated cells. Molecular analysis revealed increased expression of SIRT1, a protein known to promote cell survival and regulate aging-related genes, and reduced levels of GADD45a, a marker of DNA damage. Collectively, the results suggested that psilocin not only delays cellular aging but does so by enhancing mechanisms involved in stress resistance and genetic stability.</p>
<p>The researchers then tested whether psilocybin could influence aging in living animals. They selected 19-month-old female mice—roughly equivalent to 60 to 65 human years—and administered psilocybin once per month for 10 months. The dosing regimen was designed to mimic protocols used in clinical trials for humans, adjusted to account for the faster metabolism in mice. The mice that received psilocybin had a significantly higher survival rate by the end of the study compared to those given a placebo. Eighty percent of the psilocybin-treated mice were still alive, compared to only 50 percent of the placebo group.</p>
<p>“Our study demonstrates, for the first time, that psilocybin has potent systemic impacts which can improve survival, even when administered late in life,” Hecker told PsyPost.</p>
<p>Although the researchers did not measure behavior or disease onset in detail, they reported that the treated mice appeared healthier, with improved fur quality and fewer signs of age-related decline. These observations, while preliminary, suggest that psilocybin’s benefits may go beyond lifespan and extend to overall health and physical condition.</p>
<p>“At the end of the experiment, the psilocybin-treated mice not only looked better than the vehicle-treated group, but they looked better than they did at the start of the experiment,” Hecker said.</p>
<p>The research also touches on broader public health concerns. In the United States, life expectancy has lagged behind other high-income countries, and chronic age-related illnesses remain a major burden.</p>
<p>Ali John Zarrabi, a co-investigator on the study and director of psychedelic research at Emory University, noted that the results have implications for how aging is managed. “This study provides strong preclinical evidence that psilocybin may contribute to healthier aging — not just a longer lifespan, but a better quality of life in later years,” he said. “As a palliative care physician-scientist, one of my biggest concerns is prolonging life at the cost of dignity and function. But these mice weren’t just surviving longer — they experienced better aging.”</p>
<p>While the study’s findings are promising, the authors caution that more research is needed before psilocybin could be used as an anti-aging therapy in humans. The experiments were conducted under tightly controlled conditions and involved a relatively small number of mice. Only female mice were included, which helped avoid variability linked to sex-based biological differences but also limits the generalizability of the results. Future studies will need to test whether the same effects occur in male mice, in other species, and eventually in people.</p>
<p>There are also questions about the long-term safety of psilocybin, particularly with repeated dosing. Although the researchers did not observe any signs of cancer or unchecked cell growth in the treated cells, extending the lifespan of cells without appropriate checks could, in theory, increase the risk of malignancies. The authors stress that future studies should investigate whether long-term psilocybin use has any influence on cancer development.</p>
<p>“This is only the first study to evaluate the impacts of psilocybin on aging,” Hecker noted. “”Many more questions still need to be answered: Are there sex-specific differences in efficacy? What is the optimal treatment protocol (ex dose, frequency)? Are there potential adverse effects associated with long term psilocybin treatment?”</p>
<p>The legal status of psilocybin remains another challenge. As a Schedule I substance under federal law in the United States, access to psilocybin for research purposes is tightly regulated, and funding for such studies is limited. These restrictions have slowed the pace of scientific exploration, even as early results suggest wide-ranging benefits.</p>
<p>Despite these hurdles, interest in psilocybin’s therapeutic potential is growing. The United States Food and Drug Administration has granted “breakthrough therapy” status to psilocybin for depression, a designation that signals its potential for substantial clinical benefit. Dozens of clinical trials are currently underway to test psilocybin for conditions ranging from anxiety to chronic pain.</p>
<p>Looking forward, Hecker hopes “to determine the optimal dosing regimen and monitor the potential for adverse effects at the pre-clinical level for successful clinical translation,” Hecker said. “This is a new frontier in psilocybin research! Psilocybin holds great potential as a novel anti-aging intervention. I hope this study sparks many more studies to better understand the potential of psilocybin for aging and age-related diseases.”</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-025-00244-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Psilocybin treatment extends cellular lifespan and improves survival of aged mice</a>,” was authored by Kosuke Kato, Jennifer M. Kleinhenz, Yoon-Joo Shin, Cristian Coarfa, Ali J. Zarrabi, and Louise Hecker.</p></p>
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<p><strong>Forwarded by:<br />
Michael Reeder LCPC<br />
Baltimore, MD</strong></p>
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