Turning Over a New Leaf: How Cannabis Users
Are Defying Stereotypes

The ‘Lazy Stoner’ Debunked: Insights from Pioneering Motivation Research

Summary

• A new study published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal challenges the common belief that regular cannabis users lack motivation.
• The research, conducted by the University of Toronto, found that individuals who use cannabis regularly actually display high levels of motivation in their everyday activities, despite experiencing minor decreases in certain conscientiousness aspects while under the influence.
• Cannabis, also known as marijuana or weed, is consumed through various methods such as smoking, ingesting edibles, and using oils.
• Its psychoactive effects are primarily due to THC, which produces a “high” feeling and can alter perceptions, mood, and consciousness.
• The study aimed to debunk the stereotype of the “lazy stoner” by using experience sampling to collect real-time data on participants’ experiences and behaviors throughout the day.

A groundbreaking study dispels long-held beliefs that frequent cannabis users lack motivation, suggesting that the stereotype of the ‘lazy stoner’ may not hold true. Published in the prestigious Social Psychological and Personality Science journal, this research introduces compelling evidence that individuals who regularly use cannabis actually exhibit considerable levels of motivation in their everyday activities, though they might experience minor decreases in certain conscientiousness aspects while under the influence.

Cannabis, a plant with various colloquial names like marijuana, weed, or pot, is consumed through different methods including smoking its dried leaves, ingesting edibles, and using oils. The plant’s psychoactive effects are primarily attributed to cannabinoids, specifically tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the ‘high’ felt by users, characterized by altered perceptions, mood changes, and different levels of consciousness. Depending on various factors, users’ experiences can range from feelings of relaxation and joy to anxiety and paranoia.

Ranked as the fourth most popular recreational drug globally, after caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco, cannabis’s increasing legal acceptance has spurred both public and scientific interest in understanding its wider implications on health, lifestyle, and societal behaviors. This growing curiosity has ignited discussions on the potential benefits and drawbacks of regular cannabis use, challenging the drug’s historical depiction as purely a substance of misuse.

Researchers at the University of Toronto embarked on a study to explore the pervasive stereotype associating chronic cannabis users with a lack of motivation and productivity, commonly dubbed the “lazy stoner” stereotype. This stereotype assumes that habitual users demonstrate diminished energy, ambition, and productivity, affecting both public perception and policy-making, which has traditionally concentrated on the negative impacts of cannabis consumption.

Michael Inzlicht, a professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough and lead researcher of the study, highlighted the aim of adopting an unbiased perspective towards understanding how cannabis influences regular users’ daily routines. The team utilized experience sampling, a real-time data collection method that prompts participants to report their experiences and behaviors randomly throughout the day. This approach offers insight into the immediate and temporary effects of cannabis on mood, cognition, and activity, reducing recall bias common in retrospective surveys.

Participants, recruited mainly through online platforms and communities like Reddit, were adults over 21 years living in the US or Canada, using cannabis recreationally at least three times a week, and not for medical purposes. Following a baseline survey to capture their cannabis usage patterns, personality traits, and other psychological metrics, the subjects began the experience sampling phase. Over one week, they received five daily surveys via their mobile devices, asking if they felt high and assessing their current emotional state, motivation levels, and conscientiousness.

With 260 participants completing the baseline questionnaire and at least one experience sampling survey, a total of 3,701 responses were analyzed. The findings indicated that regular cannabis use does not significantly impact motivation, showing no notable difference in motivation levels whether users were high or not. Additionally, the study found no significant decline in the participants’ readiness to engage in mental effort while under the influence, evidenced by a task that involved selecting between easy and challenging tasks for different rewards.

These results challenge the stereotype of cannabis users as inherently unmotivated, suggesting that regular consumption does not notably diminish one’s motivation.