Bryan Johnson Took Magic Mushrooms for Science. Here’s What His Body Showed.

Bryan Johnson is known as the man who spends millions a year trying to slow down his own aging. He measures his sleep, his blood and his brain the way most people check the weather. So when he decided to try psilocybin, he did it the only way he knows: under medical supervision, with 249 biomarkers tracked before, during and after. His question was a bold one. Could a compound we mostly know for what it does to the mind also change what happens in the body?

The first answer came from inflammation. Johnson reported that his systemic inflammation dropped by more than 35%, to a level his tests could no longer detect, even though it was already very low. That matters, because chronic, low-level inflammation is one of the quiet processes scientists link to aging. A single experience moving that number is the kind of result that makes researchers lean forward.

Then there was the brain. His scans showed less activity in the front of the brain, the area that handles control, planning and overthinking, and stronger connections between the areas for senses, sound and speech. His team described his brain as more open, flexible and exploratory, with network patterns that looked more like those of a younger brain than an older, more rigid one.

His stress hormone told an interesting story too. Cortisol rose sharply at the peak of the trip, which is a normal response to psilocybin. But by the evening it was back to baseline, with no lasting stress. His body went through something intense, and then simply reset.

And the experience itself? It sounds less like a lab test and more like rediscovering the world. Touch, movement and music felt richer than he could remember, and a simple salad afterwards tasted like the best meal of his life. He described it as his perception being reset to “factory settings”, as if years of dulled senses had been wiped away.

Johnson isn’t exploring this alone. In 2025, researchers from Emory University and Baylor College of Medicine published the first study on psilocybin and aging. In the lab, psilocin, the active form of psilocybin, extended the lifespan of human cells by more than 50%. Old mice given psilocybin once a month lived longer as well: 80% survived to the end of the study, against 50% of the mice that got a placebo. The treated mice even grew healthier, fuller fur.

For most people, psilocybin means a memorable trip, a night of laughter with friends, or a growing body of research into therapy for depression and anxiety. Now a new chapter is opening. Early results from Johnson’s experiment and the first lab studies suggest the same compound may also affect inflammation, stress hormones and even the way our cells age. The large human studies are still ahead of us, but the idea alone is remarkable. If a few early experiments already show this much, psilocybin may one day be known not only for opening the mind but also for helping the body stay healthy for longer.

Disclaimer: This study/conclusion was conducted under professional guidance (onder supervisie) and should not be taken as medical advice. Psilocybin must not be combined with antidepressants, lithium, or other psychiatric medications; always consult your doctor before use if you are taking any prescription medication.