Does Science Support the “Lazy Stoner” Stereotype? Here’s what a new study found
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New research from the University of Cambridge, UK, showed that “adult and adolescent cannabis users are no more likely than non-users to be unmotivated or unable to enjoy life’s pleasures”.
According to researchers, “there is no scientific basis for the stereotype often portrayed in the media.”
“We’re so used to seeing ‘lazy stoners’ on our screens that we keep asking if they’re an accurate representation of cannabis users,” the authors said. “Our work implies that that in itself is a lazy cliché.”
Scientists from UCL, the University of Cambridge and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London investigated whether “cannabis users exhibit higher levels of apathy (loss of motivation) and anhedonia (loss of interest or pleasure in rewards) compared to controls and whether they were less willing to exert themselves physically to obtain a reward.”
RELATED: New study confirms cannabis users aren’t lazy stoners after all
The team recruited 274 adolescent and adult cannabis users who had used cannabis at least weekly for the past three months, on an average of four days per week, and matched them with non-users of the same age and sex, according to the study published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology.
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Method: Participants completed questionnaires to measure anhedonia and their level of apathy. Still, the researchers found no association between frequency of cannabis use and either apathy or anhedonia in those who used cannabis.
Findings: “We were surprised to see that there was really very little difference between cannabis users and non-users when it came to lack of motivation or lack of enjoyment, even among those who used cannabis every day,” Martine Skumlien, Ph.D. said a candidate in Cambridge University’s Department of Psychiatry after seeing the results. “It goes against the stereotypical portrayal we see on TV and in movies.”
RELATED: Cannabis use doesn’t make lazy teens or young adults, studies show
Conclusions: “However, we need studies looking for these associations over a long period of time to confirm these results,” said Dr. Will Lawn from the Department of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London.
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More than lazy stoners
A 2017 study found that marijuana users, commonly labeled unproductive people, have instead turned out to be successful cannabis entrepreneurs. According to the study, cannabis users may feel motivated or even enjoy the joys of life.
RELATED: Smoking marijuana can ignite the entrepreneurial spirit
Additionally, many athletes recognized as cannabis patients are known to have ingested marijuana as a substitute for modern medicine. Recently, Australian footie legend Andrew Johns revealed that medicinal cannabis is helping him with chronic pain and brain attacks. Johns said he had been dependent on sleeping pills and anti-inflammatory drugs for nearly 30 years, but medicinal cannabis reversed that need.
This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.
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