- Emily Drayton, Staff Writer
Cannabis and Brilliance
My story today comes from Cannabis.net: None of it will be news to the wonderfully creative and brilliant dear readers of the American Cannabis Report, but I’m going to share it anyway to make us all feel good going into this week.
THE SCOOP
Some of this article is dated such as using “marijuana” exclusively and being very binary about genders, so I’m going to paraphrase where I can:
“From executives to programmers in Silicon Valley, it’s safe to assume almost everyone is looking to elevate from reality somehow. It’s become increasingly clear that cannabis is the drug of choice for those with higher IQ’s. This is contrary to the Reefer-Mad stereotypes that users are lazy couch potatoes with no ambition in life. Paging Dr. Oz…
The data tells us the opposite is true.
In fact, a 2011 study conducted by researchers from the British Medical Journal analyzed the IQ’s of around 8,000 people. They were tested four times each, from age 5 to 30 years old. Their findings revealed that people who have higher IQ’s when they were children were more likely to be cannabis users by the time they hit 30.
What was surprising was that the higher their IQ, the higher the probability that they would use cannabis when they got older.
High-IQ women were twice as likely to be cannabis users compared to those with low IQ scores
Men with high IQs were 50% more likely to be right with God’s Favorite Plant by age 30.
THE DEEPER DIVE
So that’s pretty cool data, but the obvious question is WHY? The article has some suggestions.
#1 is Creativity: The article suggests that cannabis makes you creative – not exactly a breakthrough idea. It names creative people from Bob Dylan to Carl Sagan to Abe Lincoln… OK, waiting for an original thought and… here it is: Studies show that consuming cannabis has an impact on the kind of thinking we do because it boosts cerebral blood flow in the brain’s frontal regions, which are responsible for creativity (or lack thereof). The chemicals in cannabis are shown to boost divergent thinking, which is what promotes creative & free thoughts, as opposed to convergent thinking, which is associated with problem solving.”
#2: Quiets the Intelligent Mind: People with higher IQ’s tend to struggle with many more thoughts and at a much faster pace compared to people with average intelligence. This makes it tiresome to continue debating and arguing with people, and can explain why many smart people are also quieter than others, preferring instead to be alone with their thoughts.
When the thoughts get too much, smart people turn to cannabis to help turn it down a notch or two. THC or CBD compounds can do wonderful things for mental relaxation, helping to shut off the thoughts that typically force them to think about everything in the world, all at once.
#3: Cannabis helps us socialize intellectually, intelligently, and responsibly: Smart people know that alcohol is not the best social lubricant – cannabis is. Whereas alcohol can make you act stupid and give you terrible hangovers, The Plant doesn’t. Which leads to #4:
#4: Improved cognitive processes: Cannabis has numerous benefits for the brain and thinking, and many studies prove it. For one, whereas other recreational drugs and alcohol kill and impair the growth of new brain cells, cannabis does the opposite. It’s neurogenerative, not a neuro-assassin. The formation of these new cells help improve memory, and help to prevent mood disorders, and for some, anxiety.
In addition, a study also shows that there is a link between cannabis use and better attention, executive function, working memory, psychomotor speed, and verbal learning. In other words, we can say that marijuana helps smart people become even smarter.
THE LAST WORD
Clearly, cannabis users are brilliant and wonderful in every way. Be well, everyone. Get some cannabis in you and have a wonderful day!
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Image source: Photo by Nadezhda Moryak from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-red-heart-balloon-illustration-9162031/