The general thought is that cannabis reduces motivation, couchlock and so on. The general stereotype of the stoner is that lazy, sleepy, confused 20 something with no drive or aspirations other than getting high. Obviously, we know that’s not always the case. There are so many misapprehensions going around about weed due to years of negative propaganda. So let’s have a look and see how much cannabis really affects motivation and if so is that only the case with certain strains and certain people. Will weed make you unmotivated, or could it actually create motivation if used properly?
So obviously, like most people who have smoked, I have experienced those perfect lazy nights on the couch. With a joint and a film and a wide variety of snacks that will quickly clog my arteries. Just because cannabis is capable of having this effect doesn’t mean that all weed makes you tired and squishy. Let’s look at alcohol, for example, people often say “tequila makes me sad drunk” or “white wine makes me chatty drunk”. We never expect everyone to be the same kind of drunk, some people will be loud and irritating no matter what they drink while others will almost immediately pass out. Basically, the same thing applies to weed. We all get stoned differently and different strains will have new and potentially unexpected effects.
When we have a look at the research there is a good deal that states cannabis can have short term negative effects on motivation. One study claimed that those who had recently smoked were less likely to be willing to work for money, which this study translates as lazy. They then checked in with regular smokers and non-smokers, both of which hadn’t had anything in the last 12 hours and appeared to have the same motivation. It is an interesting way to look at drug use but ignores a number of factors including which strains were being given to the other control group. Not super scientific to say the least.
I then continued to look at other studies and realised they were all doing the same thing. They were giving a non-specified strain to non-cannabis users and finding out that it made them sleepy. However, other studies used a mix of long term smokers and non-smokers which may give us a slightly better idea of the long term effects. The theory was that the heavier smokers would show less overall motivation than those who didn’t smoke or smoked a lot less. What they found was that the motivation levels in the long term smokers were exactly the same rather than reduced. The primary issue with the scientific method in these studies is that it is very difficult to measure motivation. I personally don’t think that being unwilling to work for money is a lack of motivation if you are willing to do something creative or enjoyable like going for a big walk.
One study came to the conclusion that the issue, rather than cannabis, was a lack of dopamine. Depression is one of the largest issues facing motivation and we do already know that it’s possible for depression to be treated with cannabis. A high level of THC can increase dopamine as well as neuron use, which in theory should increase motivation. However, in this case, they are more concerned about the long term effects of weed blunting the dopamine system. So one study says short term use is bad and long term is good, the other says the opposite.
The article that first got me onto the topic of cannabis and motivation was one about students using cannabis. A very recent study that came out in February found that cannabis-using students were more motivated than non-cannabis-using students. The study was done using 47 students, 25 of whom were stoners and 22 of whom were not. They were then asked to perform a number of tasks in a test known as Effort Expenditure for Rewards Task. It was found that the majority of smoking students were more likely to put in increased effort in order to secure the reward. They were also more likely to select high effort choice options even if the reward wasn’t any greater than low effort. However, like many cannabis studies, the group was too small for this to be entirely scientifically significant and greater testing would need to be done before we could break the link between weed and amotivational behaviour.
The final study is one that came out in 2019 and covered motivation in exercise. In this study scientists found that consuming weed before or after exercise can improve the workout overall whilst also aiding in recovery. A later study in 2020 found that overall cannabis users tended to do more structured exercise and engaged in more general physical activity in the space of four months than the non cannabis user group. There are also studies that have shown that cannabis use in younger people doesn’t necessarily restrict motivation or reduce it. Again all of these studies are underfunded and would need greater groups to get any truly meaningful data but it does tell us that cannabis isn’t definitely the death of motivation.
The thing to focus on is why some strains are demotivating and others appear to actually motivate. After looking at quite a few articles, some claiming that weed just makes certain tasks more fun which isn’t the same as motivation and others saying it genuinely increases motivation. When we are working with a lot of anecdotal evidence this can be tricky. Although if you are looking for motivational strains that may make dull tasks bearable or may increase your energy there are a few around including Green Crack. For now I can’t tell you whether or not weed decreases your motivation. All I can say is science is torn on the idea since we don’t fund cannabis research to the level that we should. Basically a lot of weed will make you tired, demotivated or just too comfy to do stuff. Other strains may increase your energy, make rubbish tasks bearable and could even make it easier for you to exercise.
Written by Tasha Porritt
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