STUDY: Raving Promotes Social Bonding, Prosocial Behaviors

A new study has revealed that raving and the use of psychedelics are linked to “social bonding and prosocial behaviors.”

Dr. Martha Newson, a cognitive anthropologist at the School of Anthropology and Conservation, conducted a retrospective online survey with those who have attended memorable raves. The study examined altered states of consciousness common in group rituals which contained the “4Ds” – dance, drums, sleep deprivation, and drugs.

The study found those who engaged in the “4Ds” at raves or free parties often experienced awe-inspiring, personal transformation — and the more an individual felt personally transformed by the experience, the more they felt bonded to the group.

Dr. Newson believes this profound feeling could play a key role in psychedelic therapies. She explains, “Psychedelics have a deep-rooted stigma related to recreational drug use and harm, but they are being used more and more in clinical studies for drug therapy in the search for more effective treatment pathways — for example, treating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or even anorexia.”

Furthermore, this new research from the University of Kent “may help explain why rave culture has endured for the last thirty years.”

H/T: Mixmag, Source: University of Kent | Photo via Curious Josh for Insomniac