Research Shows Magic Mushrooms Make Fish Lazier and Less Aggressive
Researchers found a low dose cut attack behavior and activity, suggesting the compound may selectively dampen escalated social conflict in a vertebrate model.
- Researchers in Canada found that a low dose of psilocybin reduces aggression in adult mangrove rivulus fish, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
- Mangrove rivulus are "innately aggressive," making them ideal for behavioral studies. Researchers used these self-fertilizing fish to ensure observed effects stemmed from psilocybin treatment rather than genetic variations.
- Observation of behavior revealed that fish dosed with psilocybin performed fewer high-energy "swimming bursts" compared to control specimens. Suzie Currie, a biologist at The University of British Columbia, said these are "high-energy attack behaviors that represent an escalation of aggression."
- Dayna Forsyth, a research associate at Acadia University, said psilocybin's calming effect appears to selectively reduce "energetically costly, escalated behaviors." This suggests the compound can dampen social conflict without shutting down behavior altogether.
- Future studies can build on this work to explore how psilocybin alters neural signaling and serotonin pathways. Researchers caution that current findings do not test clinical treatments and results cannot yet be directly extrapolated to humans.
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32 Articles
Scientists Gave ‘Aggressive’ Fish Psychedelic Drugs. A Breakthrough Came Next
Move over, coked-up salmon. Fish dosed with psilocybin, the psychoactive component found in magic mushrooms, showed less aggression toward peers compared to their normal behavior in laboratory experiments, according to a study published on Thursday in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.Scientists have studied the effects of psilocybin on humans and a variety of other mammals, but fish offer unique insights into the effects of this compound due…
Key magic mushroom ingredient makes fish less aggressive and lazier
More than 200 mushrooms—primarily those belonging to a genus of gilled mushrooms called Psilocybe—contain the psychoactive compound psilocybin. In the brain of mammals, this chemical can bind to serotonin receptors and influence behavior and emotions, including aggression, appetite, and mood. Its effects on the social behavior of animals, however, remain largely undescribed.
Magic Mushroom Compound Tamed One Of Nature's Most Aggressive Fish
A tiny, aggressive fish that can survive on land and fertilizes its own eggs just became one of science's most unexpected allies in understanding how psilocybin works on the brain. The post Magic Mushroom Compound Tamed One Of Nature’s Most Aggressive Fish appeared first on StudyFinds.
Psilocybin Dampens Aggression and Attack Behaviors
New research shows that low doses of the psychoactive compound can reduce high-energy aggressive behaviors in mangrove rivulus fish while keeping social communication intact, offering a new vertebrate model for studying the drug's impact on social conflict.
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