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A joint for compassion?

18/11/2023

Translation: machine translated

In psychological tests, stoners have been shown to be more empathetic. This could have to do with greater connectivity between areas of the brain involved in processing emotions.

Those who smoke weed regularly are apparently better able to empathise with others. This is the conclusion reached by a research group led by Víctor Olalde-Mathieu from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Further studies are needed to clarify whether cannabis therapy can support the treatment of certain mental disorders associated with social deficits.

For a long time, cannabis was considered a dangerous gateway drug. But in recent years, the drug has gained public acceptance. Since 2017, seriously ill people in Germany have been able to be prescribed "medical weed", for example for chronic pain, epilepsy or to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy. A draft law from the German government plans to legalise the drug for recreational purposes from 2024.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which binds primarily to CB1 receptors, is responsible for the intoxicating effect. Many of these docking sites are located in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), an area of the cerebral cortex that plays an important role in empathetic sensations. The scientists led by Olalde-Mathieu took this as an opportunity to test the empathy of people who regularly light up a joint.

In the first part of the study, 85 cannabis users completed the cognitive and affective empathy test (TECA), which examines how well people can put themselves in the shoes of others and recognise and empathise with positive and negative emotions. Compared to a control group consisting of 46 test subjects, the test subjects scored higher overall, indicating greater empathy.

The authors hypothesise that this gift could be due to neuronal peculiarities. They then tested some of their test subjects - 46 users and 34 control subjects - using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and found a comparatively increased connectivity between the CB1-receptor-rich ACC and brain regions related to empathy and emotions in the stoners.

"The results open up new possibilities for the future.

"These results open up exciting possibilities for using cannabis in the treatment of disorders associated with deficits during social interactions, for example sociopathy, social anxiety or anxiety-avoidant personality disorders," says Olalde-Mathieu.

No evidence of causality

Further studies are needed, however: Although the research team's findings show a link between empathy and cannabis use, they provide no evidence of causality. It is therefore possible that cannabis makes you more empathetic. However, it is just as possible that naturally empathetic people have a tendency to smoke weed.

The scientists also emphasise that cannabis is significantly weaker in Mexico than in the USA, for example, and that their research results are therefore not fully transferable. Larger quantities of the drug in particular can cause anxiety and panic. Like other addictive substances, the use of cannabis remains associated with risks.

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Cover image: © raunS / Getty Images / iStock (detail) Potheads like to claim that cannabis makes them particularly empathetic. Is there really anything to this claim? A study by Mexican researchers provides clues. (symbolic image)

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