Theory: Human Consciousness Arose From a Bunch of Apes Getting Stoned

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Human Consciousness Arose From a Bunch of Apes Getting Stoned, Controversial Theory Suggests

March 19, 2025

Did apes get high on mushrooms and accidentally invent what we experience as consciousness? We talked to scientists to find out.

Picture this: a group of hairy, wild primates bounding across the African savannas stumbles upon a patch of strange mushrooms growing on dung. Curious and hungry, they eat them.

Their senses sharpen, colors brighten, patterns emerge, and social bonds strengthen.

Over time, these psychedelic encounters sparked a breakthrough in cognition—sharper vision, deeper social ties, and, eventually, the dawn of language.

Early primates evolved into Homo sapiens, who continue to consume consciousness-inducing magic mushrooms—in other words, us.

In 1993, Terence McKenna, an American ethnobotanist, mystic, and psychotropic drugs advocate, introduced the stoned ape theory in his book, Food of the Gods. He argued that regular psilocybin mushroom use catalyzed the dramatic increase in brain size from Homo erectus (a very close relative of modern humans) to Homo sapiens.

Low doses, he suggested, sharpened vision for hunting; moderate doses ramped up social bonding and sexual drive; and high doses triggered mystical states that led to abstract thinking, spiritual awareness, and symbolic language—a critical leap in consciousness.

This, in a nutshell, is the heart of the stoned ape theory, or the idea that our impressive cognitive capabilities, like affinities for art and language; self-awareness; and an understanding of science and even culture all trace back to an accidental encounter between early hominids and magic mushrooms.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the idea is resurfacing, at least in cultural conversations, thanks to the psychedelic renaissance and a new wave of research into how psychoactive substances affect the brain.

A 2024 Nature meta-analysis found that hallucinogenic agents boost communication between brain networks that don’t usually interact, leading to novel connections and creative insights. They also weaken tight connections within individual networks, disrupting conventional thought patterns and triggering expanded states of awareness. Similarly, a Psychology Today article highlighted studies showing psychedelic compounds can supercharge mental performance and encourage brain rewiring.

Yet despite this growing interest in consciousness, the million-dollar question remains: does the stoned ape theory have any scientific legs?

“While psilocybin ingestion has been shown experimentally to induce alterations to neuroplasticity-related processes in the brain, McKenna’s stoned ape theory assumes direct causation between psychoactive plant consumption and complex neurological evolution,” says Amy Claire Reichelt, Ph.D, a neuroscientist. “This remains highly speculative without supporting fossil evidence.”

Reichelt points out that brain complexity arises from interacting genes and environmental pressures over long timescales—not sudden psychedelic-induced leaps. “Also, psychoactive plants aren’t found ubiquitously where humans evolved,” she adds. “It’s probably more likely that altered states of consciousness following consumption of psychoactive plants would inspire cultural shifts like art or spiritual adoption.”

“The stoned ape theory taps into a deeper cultural desire—the feeling that there’s hidden knowledge the mainstream is ignoring.”

Other scientists echo this skepticism, particularly when it comes to the biological mechanics that drive evolution. “Perhaps the most important counter-argument is the lack of evidence for the effects of psychedelics on DNA,” says Nataliya Vorobyeva, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and co-founder of Hive Bio, an organization offering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. “For evolution to occur, DNA strands must change—and these changes must be beneficial. Psilocybin causes short-term changes in consciousness, but that’s not enough for natural selection to kick in,” Vorobyeva continues.

There’s a simple reason the theory endures: it’s a good story. People are drawn to simple, mythical stories to explain complex issues, often involving an external force, Vorobyeva believes. It’s more palatable to imagine sacred plants sparking a leap in human consciousness than to “digest the messy randomness of natural selection.” But cultural undercurrents also help keep the theory afloat.

“The stoned ape theory taps into a deeper cultural desire—the feeling that there’s hidden knowledge the mainstream is ignoring. Psychedelics have long been tied to countercultural movements, and McKenna’s theory challenges academic orthodoxy,” Vorobyeva adds. “It appeals to people who see themselves as being ‘in the know,’ holding truths that institutions dismiss.”

For other experts, however, even if hallucinogens haven’t directly transformed human biology, they have profoundly shaped human experience.

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