Octopuses on MDMA turn into relaxed and friendly creatures

According to a new study, asocial octopuses usually turn into affectionate creatures when they receive MDMA, the drug also known as Ecstasy. It is unlikely that any octopus will search the company of other octopus, only meeting when it is time to mate. When given MDMA, these creatures found each other close to each other and in some cases even "kissed" their companions.

MDMA is known to cause feelings of love and affection in humans, but one can only guess the effect it would have on octopuses, creatures often far apart others because of the risk of killing one another. This changes when on ecstasy, according to a newly published study in Current Biology.

According to research, octopus at MDMA want to spend more time with each other, as do their human counterparts. The similar effect is observed despite more than 500 million years of evolution separating humans and invertebrates such as octopus.

according to NPR, who discussed with researchers who worked on the product, the octopuses first received a high dose of MDMA to check if they could feel any effects. It was apparently too much, as the octopus seemed hyper-vigilant and stared.

After receiving smaller doses, the octopuses exhibited major behavioral changes, approaching and even touching each other. Whether it shows an increase in something like love or affection for each other, this remains to be debated.

SOURCE: Current Biology