Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychoactive plant beverage containing the serotonergic 5-HT2A agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and monoamine oxidase-inhibiting alkaloids (harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine) that render it orally active. Ayahuasca ingestion is a central feature in several Brazilian syncretic churches that have expanded their activities to urban Brazil, Europe and North America. Members of these groups typically ingest ayahuasca at least twice per month. Prior research has shown that acute ayahuasca increases blood flow in prefrontal and temporal brain regions and that it elicits intense modifications in thought processes, perception and emotion. However, regular ayahuasca use does not seem to induce the pattern of addiction-related problems that characterize drugs of abuse. To study the impact of repeated ayahuasca use on general psychological well-being, mental health and cognition, here we assessed personality, psychopathology, life attitudes and neuropsychological performance in regular ayahuasca users (n = 127) and controls (n = 115) at baseline and 1 year later. Controls were actively participating in non-ayahuasca religions. Users showed higher Reward Dependence and Self-Transcendence and lower Harm Avoidance and Self-Directedness. They scored significantly lower on all psychopathology measures, showed better performance on the Stroop test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Letter-Number Sequencing task from the WAIS-III, and better scores on the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale. Analysis of life attitudes showed higher scores on the Spiritual Orientation Inventory, the Purpose in Life Test and the Psychosocial Well-Being test. Despite the lower number of participants available at follow-up, overall differences with controls were maintained one year later. In conclusion, we found no evidence of psychological maladjustment, mental health deterioration or cognitive impairment in the ayahuasca-using group.

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Football referees must undergo unique physical, tactical and psychological preparation to face the demands of the game and perform efficiently. Psychological factors, particularly emotional intelligence, are directly linked to sports performance, but it is also affected by other variables such as health and burnout. The objective of this study is focused on evaluating emotional intelligence and its relationship with subjective perceptions of health and burnout syndrome in Spanish football referees. Participants in the study were 4099 referees from all categories in Spain between the ages of 14 and 66 years, of which 3773 were men and 362 women. Three instruments were used: the Trait-Meta Mood Scale (TMMS-24), the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Oldenburg burnout inventory (OLBI). The results of the study reveal that the clarity and emotional repair dimensions of the emotional intelligence construct are inextricably connected with subjective perceptions of health, and, furthermore, that burnout acts as a mediating variable when it comes to a better perception of health. The results highlight the importance of working on psychological variables to foster better performance and the need to promote training programs to ensure efficient emotional management, eliminating disconnection and/or exhaustion syndrome that affects referee health.  Resumen. Los árbitros de futbol requieren de una singular preparación física, táctica y psicológica para hacer frente a las exigencias del partido y realizar una eficiente actuación. Los factores psicológicos y en particular la inteligencia emocional está directamente implicada en el rendimiento deportivo, pero también, está relacionada con otras variables como la salud y el burnout. El objetivo de este estudio se ha centrado en evaluar la inteligencia emocional y su relación con la percepción subjetiva de salud y el síndrome de burnout en árbitros de futbol españoles. Los participantes del estudio fueron 4099 árbitros españoles de todas las categorías entre 14 y 66 años, de los cuales 3773 fueron hombres y 326 mujeres. Se utilizaron tres instrumentos: el Trait-Meta Mood Scale (TMMS-24), el General Health Questionaire-12 (GHQ-12) y el Oldenburg burnout inventory (OLBI). Los resultados del estudio muestran que las dimensiones claridad y reparación emocional del constructo de inteligencia emocional están relacionada directamente con la percepción subjetiva de salud, y, además, el burnout actúa como variable mediadora frente una mejor percepción de salud. Los resultados destacan la importancia de entrenar las variables psicológicas para promover un mejor rendimiento y la necesidad de promover programas formativos para una eficiente gestión emocional y prevenir el síndrome por desconexión y/o agotamiento que afecta a la salud de los árbitros.