Cannabis users may be better at empathising with others

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-11-08 19:01

International

Credit: futurefilmworks on Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/cannabis-pot-weed-marijuana-drug-2152604/

A small Mexican study of 85 people who regularly use cannabis and 51 who don't found cannabis fans tend to be more empathetic, based on psychological testing. A subset of 46 users and 34 non-users had their brains scanned, and the researchers found that the cannabis users had more connections than non-users in a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex, which is affected by cannabis use and related to empathy. The authors say larger studies are needed to confirm their findings, but it's possible cannabis could help people who lack empathy, including sociopaths, people with social anxiety, and people with avoidant personality disorder, relate to other people.

Media release

From: Wiley

Does cannabis use affect empathy?

In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, psychological assessments indicated that people who regularly use cannabis, or marijuana, tend to have a greater understanding of the emotions of others. Brain imaging tests also revealed that cannabis users’ anterior cingulate—a region generally affected by cannabis use and related to empathy—had stronger connectivity with brain regions related to sensing the emotional states of others within one’s own body.

The study included 85 regular cannabis users and 51 non-consumers who completed psychometric tests and a subset of 46 users and 34 nonusers who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging exams.

“Although further research is needed, these results open an exciting new window for exploring the potential effects of cannabis in aiding treatments for conditions involving deficits in social interactions, such as sociopathy, social anxiety, and avoidant personality disorder, among others,” said co-author Víctor Olalde-Mathieu, PhD, of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research Wiley, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: Journal of Neuroscience Research

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

Funder: Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Grant/Award Number: 619655, 621367 and 788978; Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Grant/Award Number: IN202119

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.