4 ms·
How do you define "psychoactive"?
by BossingAround 4y ago
How do you define "psychoactive"?
- EmilyHughes 4y agoAnything that influences your psyche in an obvious way.
- BossingAround 4y agoIsn't Aspirin psychoactive in the same way? I.e. it takes away pain, which influences your psyche in an obvious way.
- EmilyHughes 4y agoYou could argue that. there is no clear line of course, but most people would agree that a beer influences them more than aspirin or an antibiothic.
- BossingAround 4y agoI see. To me, it is not very useful to talk about "psychoactive" substances, since sugar, caffeine, or nicotine are also "psychoactive". I would recommend the term "entheogens" in your original post.
- mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y agoEntheogen is even worse, that specifically means psychoactive drugs used for religious purposes. And guess what: nicotine is an entheogen!
- mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y agoIt's nit psychoactive in the sense that is has any direct perceptible effect on the brain. It reduces inflammation, which can be perceived as less pain indirectly altering your mental state. Whereas psychoactive drugs generally affect the actual underlying processes in the brain through various interactions with receptor, enzymes, or neurotransmitters. I hope that distinction makes sense.
- its_bbq 4y agoThis is so disingenuous. Psilocybin directly affects levels of different neurotransmitters in the brain. Aspirin is an anti inflammatory.
- BossingAround 4y agoIt's not about disingenuousness, it's about the proper terminology. Caffeine is "psychoactive" yet very few people would say that you need to clear your mental baggage before you start drinking coffee.
- hackernewds 4y agoIt's a difference in the degree of effect. it seems there is some intentional focus on being pedantic and perfunctory.