Throughout history, marijuana has been and is often associated with artistic creativity and innovation. Great writers, painters, musicians and even chefs have reached for it. The idea that it becomes a catalyst for brilliant ideas and unfettered creation has permeated mass culture and persists to such an extent that the subject has been addressed by many scientists. Does marijuana affect creativity, and if so, to what extent?
Can creativity be measured scientifically?
No, but the factors that affect it can be carefully studied, and scientists today know enough about the human brain to attempt to see if marijuana has the effect of altering thought processes.
What is creativity in the thinking process anyway?
Creativity is based on two important ways of thinking - divergent thinking and convergent thinking.
The first is responsible for creating loose associations and searching for new and original ideas. The second is related to integrating them and finding a common and best solution. Their combination is the ability to think creatively.
Some researchers note that the most important contribution to this is dopamine, which is an important neurotransmitter. THC clearly affects its levels, which carries with it an increase or decrease in capabilities in specific ways of thinking.
In the case of divergent thinking its level suggests an inverted letter "U", meaning that too little dopamine and too much dopamine will negatively affect creativity, which limits the ability to generate innovative ideas.
Optimal value brings success to innovative thinking. In the case of convergent thinking, an increase in dopamine Can hinder focus and analytical skills, but has advantages in thinking outside the box.
What conclusion can be drawn from this? Marijuana in the right amount promotes divergent thinking, but at the same time hinders convergent thinking.
Does marijuana stimulate creativity and limit it at the same time?
Various researchers have approached the subject in several different ways and found that THC in the creative process can cause a wide variety of reactions depending on individual characteristics, the mental state of the subject, lifestyle, dosage, regularity of use, and even social or environmental factors. However, there are noticeable differences in the increase or decrease of dopamine and its effect on creativity.
- Short-term and long-term increase in creativity. On the one hand, marijuana can increase creativity, with users reporting an increase in ideas, more fluid thinking and the ability to make non-obvious connections. On the other hand, this is only a short-term response, and translated over time, when marijuana is used regularly, cognitive, associative, concentration or problem-solving abilities can be impaired.
- Single dose. The effect of marijuana on creativity can also be dose-dependent. Low doses can promote creative thinking, while higher doses can lead to disorganization of thought and difficulty concentrating, which can negatively affect creativity.
Does marijuana affect creativity? Yes, but nothing is settled
The first large-scale studies on whether marijuana stimulates creativity were initiated in the 1970s, followed by others, and the research process continues today.
The conclusions flow from them, which we can summarize by saying that Improving creativity with marijuana is a complex and individual process, which is not yet fully understood. Scientists are even arguing about whether it is the rise and fall of dopamine that affects thought processes.
What is clear is that marijuana can have both positive and negative effects on creativity depending on a number of variables, but conclusive evidence is still lacking, which only solid research on a large group of people taking into account multiple variables can bring.
Sources:
Cannabis and creativity: highly potent cannabis impairs divergent thinking in regular cannabis users, Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2015 Mar;232(6):1123-34;
The (b)link between creativity and dopamine: spontaneous eye blink rates predict and dissociate divergent and convergent thinking, Cognition, 2010 Jun;115(3):458-65;
Effect of marijuana on divergent and convergent production cognitive tests, Journal of abnormal psychology;
Neurophysiological and cognitive effects of smoked marijuana in frequent users, Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 2010 Sep;96(3):333-41;
Cognitive and subjective dose-response effects of acute oral Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in infrequent cannabis users, Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2002 Oct;164(1):61-70.
