There has been a lot of discussion about the question if weed makes your more creative or not. In a effort to unravel this complex issue, we delved into several articles, research studies and expert opinions. During our research, we came across the Huberman Lab Podcast #92, a very insightful podcast of Dr. Andrew Humberman. We have been a big fan of Dr. Huberman’s word, as we have implemented many of his practical habits into our personal development journey. His insightful and open-minded approach to cannabis research is a breath of fresh air. This article is based on Dr. Huberman’s insights, trusting that if will be valuable information for you as well.
Cannabis and Dopamine Transmission
Inspired by Mary Jane: Exploring Creativity in Cannabis Users
Introduction
Cannabis, the plant with a rich history of cultural and medicinal use, has been a subject of ongoing discussion regarding its impact on creativity. Many enthusiasts claim that weed helps to enhance creative thinking and expression. We will delve into the complicated relationship between cannabis, dopamine transmission, and creativity, examining recent research findings to unravel the complex relationship of neurotransmitters and psychological factors that contribute to the perception of cannabis as a creative enhancer. We will end the article sharing our personal experience and opinion of the impact in creativity being high.
Cannabis and Dopamine Transmission
At the center of the discussion lies the idea that cannabis might boost dopamine transmission, particularly in brain areas linked to thinking and planning. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, plays a crucial role in regulating cognitive functions such as:
- Attention and focus: Dopamine helps us to maintain attention and focus on tasks. It helps to filter out distractions and to concentrate on relevant information. We recently wrote this article about the impact of weed on concentration. When it comes to boosting focus with THC, it’s all about finding that sweet spot. Moderate doses of THC may encourage the brain to focus without bringing users into a state of mental fog.
- Motivation: Dopamine is the driving force of out motivation to pursue goals and engage in rewarding activities. The dopamine signals our brain when we have accomplished something, which can helps to encourage us to repeat these tasks.
- Dopamine also plays a big role in learning and memory. It helps with our ability to long-term store information and enables us to remember information more effectively.
- Creativity: Dopamine is thought to play a role in creative thinking and problem-solving. It helps us generate new ideas, make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, and explore different perspectives.
- Dopamine has a direct effect on mood and emotion It influences our emotional state and contributes to the feelings of pleasure , reward and satisfaction.
The idea that increasing dopamine levels of the brain can boost creativity has increased curiosity about the potential cognitive benefits of smoking weed. As with a lot of cannabis related subjects, there is mixed results from the current performed research. Luckily, in the recent years, more research has been done.
Mixed results in studies
Studies on the relationship between weed and creativity have produced mixed results, with some finding that weed can boost creativity, while others finding that it has no effect or even impairs it.
There are a few reasons why the studies on weed and creativity have been so inconsistent. First, weed is a complex plant with over 100 different cannabinoids, each of which can have different effects on the brain. This makes it difficult to study the effects of weed in a controlled way.
Second, creativity is a difficult thing to measure. There's no one-size-fits-all test for creativity, and what one person considers to be creative may not be considered creative by another person.
Third, individual factors can also play a role in how weed affects creativity. For example, people who are more open to new experiences may be more likely to report that weed boosts their creativity.
However, there are some interesting takeaways from recently performed study about this subject.
Inspired by Mary Jane: Exploring Creativity in Cannabis Users:
A notable study led by Emily LaFrance, titled "Inspired by Mary Jane? Mechanisms underlying enhanced creativity in cannabis users," (1) provides valuable insights into this topic. In this study the researchers looked both at people who did not use cannabis, as well as people who do use cannabis. They were looking at the level of creativity in these cannabis users when they were not under the influence of cannabis and measure the ability to be creative in this state of mind. After that they researched people in the laboratory that did use cannabis.
Surprisingly enough, the study did reveal evidence of enhanced creativity in cannabis users, particularly in the part of divergent thinking. However, the key revelation was that this increased creativity was not attributed to a direct impact on neural circuits associated with creativity. Instead, it seemed that cannabis users were just more open-minded, and this openness helped them think more creatively in both divergent and convergent ways.
The link between cannabis and creativity, as revealed by this study, appears to be tied to differences in personality. Individuals with higher levels of openness to experience are more likely to use cannabis, and in turn, cannabis use reinforces this openness. This synergy creates a base for creative thinking, encouraging a mindset of new ideas and breaking free of mental barriers.
Conclusion
In the ongoing debate on whether weed truly makes you more creative, this study provides an interesting perspective. Cannabis doesn't directly tweak neural pathways, but instead acts as a creative catalyst by transforming personality traits.
While some studies have cast doubt on the link between cannabis and creativity, many individual users report that it has helped or supported their creative thinking. We have all experienced that state of euphoria while being high, where your senses seems to merge. It's possible that this state created by cannabis makes us more receptive to new ideas and perspectives
Personal experience
Based on our own experience we are convinced that cannabis has an positive effect on creativity. We can’t deny that our brains work in a different way, thoughts appear to flow more freely and out of the box. We have had many discussions internally about the fact that the subjects being talked about are different than being sober. For us it definitely results in a more divergent thinking process.
While building Open Your Mind, we discuss many of the creative topics on a brainstorming session while smoking weed. Especially the product design, which in our business is the ideal scenario: being more creative due to smoking weed, while designing products for modern stoners. Products we personally like, use and optimize to elevate our smoking experience.
If you want to see more about Dr. Hubermans work about cannabis and it’s relation with creativity, we highly recommend starting with video on the bottom of this page and if sparks your interest, listen to the full podcast (2).
Disclaimer and source reference
This blog article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any decisions about your health.
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LaFrance, E. M., & Cuttler, C. (2017). Inspired by Mary Jane? Mechanisms underlying enhanced creativity in cannabis users. Consciousness and Cognition, 56, 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2017.10.009
- https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/the-effects-of-cannabis-marijuana-on-the-brain-and-body
