New Study Suggests Cannabis Increases Empathy, Makes Us Kinder & Less Anxious

People have been consuming cannabis for a long time (centuries say historians) for a variety of reasons ranging from medicinal treatment of pain, appetite stimulation and as a sleep aid.

And then there are the millions for whom cannabis consumption is just plain fun and tends to elevate one's mood.

Now, scientific research suggests marijuana consumption also makes people kinder and more compassionate.

Published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, a study stated that there could well be a connection between cannabis use and empathy, an essential part of all human social interactions.

Víctor Olalde-Mathie, a neuroscientist at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and first author of the report, said he decided to explore the link between cannabis and empathic ability because there existed very little research specifically on THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive element of cannabis, reported the Washington Post.

What Did The Research Find?

Olalde-Mathie and his team compared 85 regular cannabis users with 51 non-users whom they asked to complete a test that measures empathy. The researchers employed a series of tests and used advanced brain imaging techniques to gather data and analyze a region of the brain that plays a central role in mediating the empathic response.

The cannabis users not only scored higher in emotional comprehension and the ability to understand another's emotional state, but they also showed a greater degree of connectivity in those related brain regions.

Cannabis users, said Olalde-Mathie, demonstrated higher empathy possibly because of the anxiety-mediating effects of cannabis. "If you're not so anxious, your physiological response and autonomic response is not so high. You can use your resources."

While there was limited research on cannabis and empathy, a study published in 2022 on cannabis and pro-social behaviors also suggested potential positive effects of cannabis, noted the outlet. In that study, 146 college students with varying amounts of THC in their systems, filled out a questionnaire that gauged measures of pro-social behaviors, empathy and morality.

Dr. Jacob Vigil, a professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico who co-authored a similar study in 2022, was co-author of the empathy study. He noted people who consume cannabis "tend to have enhanced sense of care for other people and be motivated to engage in the world in a way that is benign and selfless."

Though this recent study showed an association between cannabis use and empathy, it did not necessarily prove cause and effect, said Carrie Cuttler, a psychology professor at Washington State University.

"We have no idea if it's that the people who are more empathetic to begin with are more likely to use cannabis," Cuttler said, or that it could have to do with a personality trait or experience. Either way, she’s not convinced and says there is not enough evidence.

Read the full study here.

Photo: Courtesy of Duy Pham on Unsplash