From Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad to The Dude in The Big Lebowski, ‘stoners’ are frequently characterized as slothful and indifferent.
However, a recent study reveals that the stereotype is not accurate.
Cannabis users are not less likely than non-users to be driven or to appreciate life’s joys, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge.
The author of the study, Martine Skumlien, stated, “We’re so accustomed to seeing “lazy stoners” on our screens that we don’t stop to question whether they’re a true portrayal of cannabis users.”
Our research suggests that this is a false stereotype and that cannabis users are no more likely to lack motivation or be lethargic than non-users.
Cannabis, the third most often used restricted substance in the world after alcohol and nicotine, prompted the researchers to determine whether the drug influences apathy and anhedonia levels (loss of interest in, or pleasure from rewards).
The team recruited 274 adolescent cannabis users who had consumed cannabis at least once per week during the previous three months and compared them with non-users of the same age and gender.
All individuals filled out questionnaires to assess their anhedonia and apathy levels.
Cannabis users scored slightly lower than non-users on the anhedonia scale, indicating that they appeared more able to enjoy themselves.
Regarding disinterest, however, there was no substantial difference.
Ms. Skumlien stated, “We were shocked to find that there was little difference between cannabis users and non-users in terms of motivation and satisfaction, even among those who used cannabis daily.”
This contradicts the stereotypical depictions we see on television and in the movies.
The researchers observed that teenagers scored higher than adults on measures of anhedonia and apathy in both cannabis user and non-user groups, but cannabis usage did not exacerbate this difference.
Dr. Will Lawn from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College London stated, ‘There has been a great deal of concern that cannabis use throughout adolescence may result in more negative outcomes than cannabis use during adulthood.
‘However, our study, one of the first to explicitly compare adolescents and adults who use cannabis, reveals that teenagers are not more susceptible than adults to the negative effects of cannabis on motivation, the sense of pleasure, and the brain’s reward response.
Evidence appears that cannabis has no or rather modest relationships with these outcomes in general.
In a subsequent trial, slightly more than half of the individuals performed behavioral tasks.
The first task tested the participants’ physical exertion by allowing them to press buttons to earn points, which were later swapped for chocolate.
There were three levels of difficulty for the task, with more challenging trials needing faster button pushing.
At each stage, participants had the option of accepting or declining the offer.
The purpose of the second job was to determine how gratifying their rewards were.
On a scale ranging from ‘do not want at all to ‘intensely want’, participants were instructed to rate their desire for 30 seconds of their favorite song, one chocolate bar, and a £1 coin.
They were then given each prize and asked to rate their enjoyment.
Again, there was no difference between cannabis users and non-users on either task, according to the data.
Professor Barbara Sahakian of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge stated, “Our research indicates that recreational cannabis usage does not appear to affect motivation.”
The individuals in our study included daily cannabis users, yet they were no more likely to be unmotivated.
However, we cannot rule out the potential that increased usage, as shown in some individuals with cannabis use disorder, has an effect.
