Cannabis users or “stoners” are often associated with characteristics of laziness and lack of motivation, especially in mainstream media. Think Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad or “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski.
But a new study suggests that this stereotype has no scientific basis and that cannabis users are just as motivated as anyone else.
Published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology on August 24, researchers from University College London, the University of Cambridge and King’s College London found that cannabis had a limited or weak link to feelings of apathy or lack of pleasure.
“There have been many fears that cannabis use in adolescence may lead to worse outcomes than cannabis use in adulthood,” said Dr. Will Lawn, one of the co-authors of the study, in a press release.
“But our study…suggests that adolescents are no more vulnerable than adults to the harmful effects of cannabis on motivation, the experience of pleasure, or the brain’s response to reward.”
According to the World Health Organization, cannabis is the third most consumed psychoactive substance in the world, after alcohol and nicotine.
According to the WHO, in 2013, around 181.8 million people aged 15-64 worldwide used cannabis for non-medical purposes, with the highest rates of cannabis use reported among adolescents and adults. young adults.
The researchers wanted to determine if cannabis had an impact on users’ level of apathy, anhedonia (loss of interest or enjoyment of rewards) and if it made them lazier about getting a reward.
The team compared 274 adult and adolescent cannabis users who had used it at least once a week in the past three months, with non-users of the same age and sex.
All participants received questionnaires that measured their degree of apathy as well as their enthusiasm to complete their work.
The study found that cannabis users seemed better able to enjoy themselves than non-users, ranking slightly lower for anhedonia. There was no difference between the apathy levels of the two groups.
It was also revealed that the frequency of cannabis use had no impact on apathy or anhedonia.
“We were surprised to see that there was really very little difference between cannabis users and non-consumers in terms of lack of motivation or lack of enjoyment, even among those who used cannabis on a daily basis,” said Martine Skumlien, one of the co-leaders of the study. -the authors said in a statement.
“This is contrary to the stereotypical portrayal we see on TV and in movies.”
The researchers also looked at the drug’s potential impact on users’ level of physical exertion for a task. It was found that across all age groups, users and non-users showed the same level of effort to get a reward.
“We’re so used to seeing ‘lazy stoners’ on our screens that we don’t stop to ask if they’re an accurate representation of cannabis users,” Skumlien added.
“Our work implies that this in itself is a lazy stereotype and that people who use cannabis are no more likely to be unmotivated or lazier than people who don’t. ”
Further studies will be needed to completely rule out the possibility of negative impacts on users’ brains, the researchers said.