A Fungal Friend number of people are microdosing mushrooms to enhance their mood, creativity, concentration and ability to empathize with others. But while these anecdotal reports may be promising, the scientific evidence is less compelling. One study that used a naturalistic design to follow 953 psilocybin microdosers and 180 non-microdosers over 30 days found only small to medium-sized improvements in mood. Moreover, the researchers note that their data are prone to placebo effects and that psilocybin could have impairing effects on some cognitive tasks.

In addition, a lack of control over dosing means that it’s difficult to determine how much actual psychedelic is being consumed. A recent survey of self-selected participants reveals that many of them are dosing very close to the threshold of intoxication, where they’d be able to feel the drug taking effect, but still wouldn’t experience a significant psychoactive experience. The authors conclude that the high level of self-selection could contribute to a large placebo effect.

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Another possibility is that the benefits people report from microdosing psychedelics could be due to an “expectancy effect.” In other words, if you take a pill every day that you fervently expect will make you happier and smarter, you’re likely to feel that way — even if you don’t know exactly what’s in the pill.

But psilocybin is still illegal in most states, so the best way to know exactly what you’re getting and how it might affect you is to do some research in a lab. And since psilocybin produces physiological tolerance, it would be wise to stick with only the lowest dose that is safe and effective for you.