Weed Might Not Make You Creative After All

Weed can make you feel joyful, which influences the idea that you’re more creative.

By Benjamin Plackett
Jan 27, 2023 7:00 PMJan 27, 2023 8:29 PM
Weed
Weed on a laptop to show if weed makes you more creative. (Credit: Ary Suarez/Shutterstock)

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Marijuana is often credited as aiding the creative process. Singers from Louis Armstrong to Lady Gaga have spoken about their penchant for weed and a large number of songs – such as The Beatles’ “Got to get you into my life” and Afroman’s “Because I got high” – were written in tribute to the drug. According to previous studies, more than 70 percent of cannabis users take the drug to be more creative and most of them say it works.

But weed’s creative reputation is now in question, however, after a new study published in the journal Applied Psychology determined that marijuana doesn’t get the creative juices flowing after all. The paper did show that cannabis does induce a feeling of joviality, which consequently makes people think that their ideas and actions are more creative.

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