Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing.
In the largest placebo-controlled microdosing study, people taking empty capsules improved as much as people taking the drug — how do I tell whether what I am feeling is the substance or the expectation?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Participants sourced and weighed their own material, so actual doses were unverified, and the sample was self-selected enthusiasts rather than people with a diagnosed condition. The authors are based at Imperial College's Centre for Psychedelic Research with a co-author from the Beckley Foundation, both proponents of psychedelic research — which cuts against, not toward, a bias explanation for this null result.
The substances used for microdosing are federally illegal.
191 people already intending to microdose followed online instructions to build their own placebo control into their routine. Every psychological outcome improved from baseline over four weeks in the microdose group — and improved just as much in the placebo group, with no significant between-group differences. The few acute differences that did appear were explained by participants correctly guessing which capsules were active.
Worth asking
In the largest placebo-controlled microdosing study, people taking empty capsules improved as much as people taking the drug — how do I tell whether what I am feeling is the substance or the expectation?
Source
Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing. — Szigeti B, Kartner L, Blemings A, et al. (2021)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.62878
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.62878
How this was scored
- Study design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Funding
- No external funding
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 191
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- No
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 70 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Participants sourced and weighed their own material, so actual doses were unverified, and the sample was self-selected enthusiasts rather than people with a diagnosed condition. The authors are based at Imperial College's Centre for Psychedelic Research with a co-author from the Beckley Foundation, both proponents of psychedelic research — which cuts against, not toward, a bias explanation for this null result. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing. — Szigeti B, Kartner L, Blemings A, et al. (2021). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.62878. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Randomised controlled trial. Funding: No external funding. The researchers were not independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is microdosing, microdose, lsd microdosing, psilocybin microdosing, sub-perceptual dosing FDA approved for this use?
No. Its current status is: Not FDA-evaluated for this use. The substances used for microdosing are federally illegal.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.