Authenticity and Love Drugs: Insights from Psychedelic Therapy

In "Prescription for Love: An Experimental Investigation of Laypeople's Relative Moral Disapproval of Love Drugs," Lantian, Boudesseul, and Cova (2024) explore the moral implications of hypothetical romantic love-enhancing biotechnological interventions. Their study reveals "love drugs" (LDs) are viewed as less acceptable than psychological therapy due to the perceived <i>inauthenticity</i> of the resulting feelings. This highlights the importance of <i>authenticity</i> and <i>naturalness</i> in moral evaluations of emotion. However, we suggest the distinction between <i>organic</i> and <i>artificial</i> experiences is less clear than it seems, and that humans can draw meaning from many situations. Drawing parallels with psychedelic-assisted therapy, we propose emotions from LDs could also be meaningful and authentic, if they foster long-term positive change and align with personal beliefs and desires. Feelings we characterize as natural are also shaped by external stimuli that influence brain function. Where LDs can support transformative, meaningful experiences, they should not be viewed as immoral.