Many cannabis users claim that the plant raises both their mood and their creativity. And it’s not just a myth. Research is scarce and inconclusive, but it is beginning to update itself with what we have always sensed: cannabis can make you more creative.
It is no secret that some of the most influential artists and the brightest thinkers of our time have cited cannabis as a significant creative influence. From Silicon Valley to art centers around the world, cannabis has induced an innovative way of thinking that has led to many of the technological advances that make our lives more agile and art more exquisite. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are just two of the countless artists who painted their canvases with the help of cannabis, and Steve Jobs or Carl Sagan praised the visionary vision of the plant before his death.
But what does science say about it?
A 2017 study in the magazine ‘Consciousness and Cognition’ found that generating some happiness through cannabis can help connect seemingly unrelated concepts. It is the kind of thing that they make fun of in movies about fumes, but this kind of “divergent thinking,” in which the brain unleashes a torrent of original ideas, is actually an essential precursor of creativity.
The study also suggests that cannabis can help free us from common thoughts and associations, which leads to the kind of ingenuity that generates novel ideas. But how this mechanism works is not as simple as one might think.
There are two main factors that determine to what extent cannabis can affect creativity levels: the amount of cannabis consumed and how creative you are naturally.
A 2012 study by researchers at the University of London suggests, perhaps contrary to intuition, that if you are already naturally creative, cannabis may not greatly increase your creative production that is already standard. But for those who are not usually very imaginative, it could substantially boost creativity. Cannabis can also lift the so-called “artist block” for anyone who is not inspired, regardless of their natural inclination towards creative thinking.
Moderation also seems to be a key factor in improving creativity. Cannabis can be a muse that draws inspiration from the confines of the mind if consumed in small doses. On the other hand, consuming too much can catapult you beyond lucidity to lock you directly into darkness, which can actually make you even less creative than when you have not consumed. Therefore, if you are looking for that “stable genius” shine, this is a case in which micro-dosing really is, or, directly, cannabis containment is recommended.
And although most studies have not directly addressed this specific factor, the choice of cannabis strain probably also influences. For example, CBD does not produce psychoactive symptoms (i.e., altered states of consciousness) that help creativity as THC does. Energizing varieties, such as sativas, can also induce “convergent thinking,” a skill that helps you connect disparate ideas, which makes genetics with limonene terpene a great option for exchanging ideas and addressing challenging problems.
Interestingly, it seems that cannabis also has the trait of allowing you to create as your true self. Because the plant tends to decrease inhibitions, you can let your imagination fly without the interference of your internal critic. And it also offers some credit to the maximum for which some cannabis creators swear: create placed, edit sober. However, it is worth noting that many artists also use cannabis in the final stages of a project to modify and refine it.
Thus, cannabis could be the magic wand that many artists dream of, either as a muse to inspire creativity or as a catalyst to eliminate mental blockages. But a certain amount of experimentation is required to find out what varieties and what dose makes the inspiration flow, reaching the sweet, creative point that every artist, including you, needs.
A reduced risk inhalable system for consumption of cannabis
If you are an ardent supporter of the idea that consuming cannabis can revitalize your creativity, you still need to be mindful of your consumption. Vaporization is becoming a modern way of smoking marijuana, and in this regard, there is a pretty innovative product developed by a UK-based company called Liberty Herbal Technologies Ltd. Their product, which is known as hapac®, is an innovative, portable, measured-dose, inhalable system that is electronically-operated. The inhaler device has a smart look, and the hapac® sachets help you regulate your marijuana dosage. hapac® is in the process of receiving its legal patent and would soon be available in the market.
