Using Magic Mushrooms For Studying: Does It Help?

There’s a lot of hype on the internet regarding psychedelic drugs, microdosing, and increased “performance” and “productivity”. But is the hype real? Or is it just placebo?

In this article, we look at using magic mushrooms as a potential study aid.

Before we get into it, know that while these drugs might, under specific circumstances, be able to help you when studying, they are not going to do the work for you, and can actually be quite detrimental if taken incorrectly or without caution. So do you research, and conduct any experiments long before actual exams!

What are the potential benefits of using magic mushrooms for studying?

Some people are turning to psilocybin mushrooms in hopes of increasing their capacity to study, and thus their performance on exams. But how exactly can this psychedelic drug help?

• Improved creativity: It appears that magic mushrooms change the ways in which different regions of the brain communicate with one another, which can in turn improve “creative thinking” (Petri et al. 2014).
• Improved focus: Some anecdotal evidence suggests that microdosing magic mushrooms can improve focus. On the other hand, large doses tend to reduce focus, at least regarding learning tasks.
• May help to manage anxiety: Some evidence suggests that magic mushrooms could help to manage anxiety, which may be useful during tough exam periods (Goldberg 2020).

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How to dose magic mushrooms for studying

You need to be very careful if you choose to use magic mushrooms as an aid to learning. There is some evidence to suggest that microdosing can help with studying, but on the whole, taking a full dose impairs memory (Healy 2021).

So, if you want to use magic mushrooms to aid your studies, microdosing is probably your best bet. However, that’s not to say you won’t benefit from taking larger doses following exams (more on this later).

Microdosing and studying

Some people swear by microdosing as a tool for learning and increasing productivity. Others write it off as ineffective. As there isn’t enough scientific evidence to support one claim or the other, it’s hard to know what specific effects microdosing might have on studying.

Microdosing generally involves taking a sub-perceptual dose once every three days, for an allotted period of time (for instance, an exam period). We’d recommend not trying out microdosing for the first time during an intense study period, as it has adverse effects on some people, and it can take some experimenting to get dosing right.

Doses that are even slightly too high can impair concentration and cause mania-like effects in some people, which can disrupt sleep and focus for days. So getting it right is crucial.

We have a dedicated guide to microdosing that will help you understand the practice in much greater detail.

How to use magic mushrooms for studying

Once again, be very careful if you choose to use magic mushrooms for studying. If you are not experienced with them, and don’t understand how to dose them, then don’t begin experimenting during a study period!

If you do know about yourself and shrooms, and have decided to use them as a study aid, then here are some tips.

Before your exam

• Stick to a schedule of microdosing that you know works.
• Unless you’re certain of the effects that it has on you, do not take a dose on the day of an exam.
• Remember that you are using them as an aid, and you’ll still have to work hard—they won’t do the work for you!
• When it comes to benefitting focus and memory, less is more with magic mushrooms.
• Do not mix with caffeine or other study drugs; you’ll probably make your brain overactive and won’t be able to think properly!
• Do the things you’d do without them: eat healthily, exercise, sleep well, etc.

After your exam

• Taking a substantial dose of magic mushrooms (tripping) can help to reset you after a busy exam period.
• Wait at least a day after your last exam to trip. This will allow your brain to cool off from the pressure (otherwise you might find your trip dominated by the content of the exam).

What are the risks of using magic mushrooms for studying?

Research suggests that low doses of psilocybin have few short or long-term detrimental effects on cognitive performance (Rucker 2022). That being said, there are obvious risks associated with taking psychedelic drugs while studying.

The main one is focus. Perceptual doses of psilocybin tend to impair focus and concentration—at least regarding learning tasks. You might find yourself considering the clouds for hours, but reading/writing an essay will prove much more difficult. Likewise, forming short-term memories can be difficult if you’re high.

The main risk is misjudging a dose right before an exam. For this reason, we’d really recommend not taking any mushrooms on the day of your exam, unless you are certain you know what you’re doing.

Taking magic mushrooms for studying: Will results improve?

Understand that psilocybin mushrooms are not magical tools that will give your super-human learning powers. In fact, unless they’re used in a very specific way, they might impair learning.

If you want to take them while studying, we’d recommend sticking to microdosing, as, at least anecdotally, this is thought to improve focus, creativity, and memory. And if you prefer large doses, by all means take them during study periods—just don’t expect to actually study or learn during the trip. Even if you don’t try to learn while tripping, the long-term effects on your brain could still be beneficial.

Be careful when using any drug to “improve performance”. There’s a lot of hype and myth out there, and if you get it wrong, you can do more harm than good. Good luck!

Max Sargent

Max has been writing for over a decade, and has come into cannabis and psychedelic journalism in the last few years. Writing for companies such as Zamnesia, Royal Queen Seeds, Cannaconnection, Gorilla Seeds, MushMagic and more, he has experience in a broad spectrum of the industry.

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