decreasing the user’s perception of negative social cues, which point towards social rejection or negative emotion. Frye, Wardle, Norman and de Wit (2014) used a virtual ball-tossing task, whereby a computer-generated group passed a ball to the participant, or skipped them completely, to examine the pro-social effects of MDMA. They found that MDMA reduced the impact to and of social rejection during the task, and increased feelings of positivity. However, it is also known to cause certain adverse effects on users, such as derealisation; an altered perception of the world, so that it appears unreal (APA, 2013), depersonalisation; feelings of detachment, or being an observer outside of one’s self (APA, 2013), cognitive impairments, increased anxiety and decreased appetite (Leichti et al, 2000).
The effects of MDMA last around three to six hours. Due to the effects of MDMA, the brain is unable to recycle serotonin and dopamine …show more content…
Oxytocin is a hormone commonly released following activities such as orgasms and childbirth and is involved in bonding and trust, which many report becoming heightened under the influence of MDMA (Thompson et al, 2007). Kirkpatrick, Lee, Wardle, Jacob and de Wit (2014) tested and compared the effects of oxytocin and MDMA. Over four sessions, participants were administered either MDMA, oxytocin, or a placebo drugs. MDMA users reported the typical effects, such as increased friendliness, insightfulness and were more likely to report the enjoyment of social interactions. Ambiguous results were found regarding oxytocin. There was only a mild increase in positive feelings, and no influence of socialisation. However, one issue with this study is that all MDMA users had previous experience with the drug, which would have had an effect on their experience in the current
The effects of MDMA last around three to six hours. Due to the effects of MDMA, the brain is unable to recycle serotonin and dopamine …show more content…
Oxytocin is a hormone commonly released following activities such as orgasms and childbirth and is involved in bonding and trust, which many report becoming heightened under the influence of MDMA (Thompson et al, 2007). Kirkpatrick, Lee, Wardle, Jacob and de Wit (2014) tested and compared the effects of oxytocin and MDMA. Over four sessions, participants were administered either MDMA, oxytocin, or a placebo drugs. MDMA users reported the typical effects, such as increased friendliness, insightfulness and were more likely to report the enjoyment of social interactions. Ambiguous results were found regarding oxytocin. There was only a mild increase in positive feelings, and no influence of socialisation. However, one issue with this study is that all MDMA users had previous experience with the drug, which would have had an effect on their experience in the current