Why?

The question is debated by psychologists, anthropologists, and neuroscientists without a settled answer.

Some theories emphasize the role of altered states in enhancing social bonding.

Others emphasize the cognitive and creative benefits of some altered states.

Others focus on the simple hedonic value of pleasurable experiences.

The consciousness researcher Andrew Weil, in his 1972 book “The Natural Mind,” proposed that the desire for altered states of consciousness is a natural human drive — as fundamental as hunger or the sex drive — that manifests differently in different cultures but is universal.

This proposal remains controversial in its strong form but captures something real about the cross-cultural ubiquity of consciousness-altering practices.