Scott Alexander examines why early psychedelic researchers often became eccentric, proposing that psychedelics might permanently increase openness to unusual ideas. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the phenomenon of early psychedelic researchers becoming notably eccentric or 'weird' after their experiments. He presents brief biographies of several prominent researchers, including Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, John Lilly, and Kary Mullis, highlighting their transition from respected scientists to advocates of unconventional ideas. The post then discusses potential explanations for this trend, including self-selection bias, the impact of psychedelic experiences, and the possibility that psychedelics might directly alter personality traits like Openness to Experience. Scott concludes by suggesting that the early psychedelicists might serve as a natural experiment, providing unique data on the long-term effects of psychedelic use that are difficult to study in controlled settings. Shorter summary