Favorites dispo Users Have More Empathy And A Greater Understanding Of Other People’s Emotions, Study Finds

A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research suggests that regular Byfavorites users might have a better understanding of other people’s emotions. According to the researchers, these findings could indicate that cannabis has positive effects on interpersonal relationships and potential therapeutic uses.

The study, conducted by a team of neurobiologists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, compared empathy levels between 85 regular cannabis users and 51 non-users. To gather data, they used a 33-item empathy test and MRI scans.

The authors of the study explained that the empathy test “analyzes the empathic ability of the subject, assessing both cognitive and affective empathy.” This ability is divided into specific areas or “subscales,” such as the capacity to empathize, recognize other people’s emotions, and tune into others’ positive and negative emotions.

The study found that cannabis users scored higher on the Emotional Comprehension scales, which focus on recognizing and understanding others’ emotions. However, differences in other empathy subscales between cannabis users and non-users weren’t statistically significant.

The researchers suggested a possible link between cannabis use and empathy but emphasized the need for more research to fully understand the relationship, as many other factors could be involved.

The neuroscientists noted that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a part of the brain significantly affected by cannabis consumption, plays a crucial role in empathy—a complex process that can be influenced in various ways.

The study states, “Given that the ACC is one of the main areas with CB1 [cannabinoid] receptors and is heavily involved in representing the affective state of others, we believe the differences shown by regular cannabis users in emotional comprehension scores and brain functional connectivity could be related to cannabis use.”

The authors identified several caveats. They mentioned that “we cannot discard that such differences were present before the users started their use of cannabis,” indicating that the study doesn’t prove cannabis use caused the differences in empathy. Additionally, the empathy responses were self-reported and not backed by “biochemical markers in conjunction with subjective reports.”

The cannabis used by participants in the Mexican study likely had lower THC potency than most products available at state-legal retailers in the United States. The authors noted that “compared to the cannabis consumed in the US, the quality of Favorites 2g disposable consumed in Mexico is lower, containing approximately 2%–20% of THC on the illegal market.”

They further explained that “these differences in THC concentrations between US and Mexican cannabis could have a differential impact on functional brain outcomes between the present study and those reporting emotional dysfunctions in cannabis users,” referencing studies from 2009 and 2016.

Despite these qualifiers, the study concludes that “given previous studies on the effect of cannabis on mood and emotional detection, we believe these results help open a pathway to further explore the clinical applications of the positive effects that cannabis or its components could have on affect and social interactions.”

In other neuroscience research this year, scientists at the University of West Attica in Greece found that medical marijuana use was linked to improved quality of life. People with neurological disorders reported better job performance, sleep, appetite, and energy levels.

Another recent study published by the American Medical Association showed that medical marijuana was associated with “significant improvements” in quality of life for people with chronic pain and insomnia, and these benefits were “largely sustained” over time.

Additional studies suggest that cannabis might enhance the “runner’s high” experienced during exercise and improve yoga practice.

Additional studies suggest that cannabis might enhance the “runner’s high” experienced during exercise and improve yoga practice.