Cannabis Use Was Linked to Creativity Only in People Who Were Already Less Creative | Research

The takeaway

Positive schizotypy, not cannabis use, predicted divergent thinking, and cannabis was only associated with creativity in people who scored low on baseline creativity.

Read this if you've heard cannabis boosts creativity and want to see what the research actually shows.

Cannabis use did not predict creativity when personality traits were controlled

What the researchers found

Divergent thinking (a measure of creativity) was greater in the positive schizotypy group compared to negative schizotypy and non-schizotypy groups, with small to medium effect sizes. Positive schizotypy significantly predicted divergent thinking across all groups.

Cannabis use and divergent thinking were associated in the non-schizotypy group, but not in either schizotypy group. When both positive schizotypy and cannabis use were entered as predictors simultaneously, positive schizotypy remained significant while cannabis use did not.

The pattern suggested a ceiling effect: cannabis use was only associated with increased creativity among people who were already low in creative thinking. For those with high baseline creativity (characteristic of positive schizotypy), cannabis use added nothing.

Why it matters

The popular belief that cannabis enhances creativity has influenced both recreational use and artistic culture. This study suggests the association is largely an artifact: people with certain personality traits (positive schizotypy) tend to both use cannabis and be more creative, but the cannabis itself may not be driving the creativity.

The numbers in context

Positive schizotypy group: n=66. Negative schizotypy: n=22. Non-schizotypy: n=60. Positive schizotypy predicted creativity. Cannabis use did not predict creativity when schizotypy was controlled.

How the study worked

Researchers compared three groups: positive schizotypy (n=66), negative schizotypy (n=22), and non-schizotypy (n=60). Divergent thinking was assessed using established creativity measures. Cannabis use was self-reported. Schizotypy was measured using psychometric instruments. Statistical analyses examined whether the relationship between cannabis and creativity was confounded by schizotypy.

What this study cannot tell us

This was a cross-sectional study that cannot establish causation. The sample was relatively small, especially the negative schizotypy group. Divergent thinking is only one aspect of creativity. Cannabis use was self-reported and not experimentally manipulated, so dose, frequency, and acute versus chronic effects were not distinguished.

How to read the evidence

This is a cross-sectional study with a modest sample size. It identifies associations but cannot determine causation.

When this study was published

Published in 2014. The relationship between cannabis and creativity remains debated in the literature.

The bigger picture

This study challenges the "cannabis makes you creative" narrative by identifying a potential confound. The personality traits associated with positive schizotypy (unusual perceptions, magical thinking, openness to experience) may independently foster both cannabis use and creative thinking, creating a spurious association between the two.

Questions still open

Would acute cannabis administration improve divergent thinking in a controlled experiment? Does the type of creative task matter? Are there specific aspects of cannabis's pharmacological effects that could influence creative processes?

Common questions

What is schizotypy?

Schizotypy refers to a spectrum of personality traits that resemble milder versions of schizophrenia symptoms. Positive schizotypy involves unusual perceptual experiences and magical thinking, while negative schizotypy involves social withdrawal and reduced emotional expression.

What is divergent thinking?

Divergent thinking is the ability to generate many different ideas or solutions to an open-ended problem. It is one of the most commonly used measures of creativity in psychological research, though creativity itself is a broader concept.

Read the original research

Predicting creativity: the role of psychometric schizotypy and cannabis use in divergent thinking.

Psychiatry research, 220(1-2), 205-10

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Minor, Kyle S; Firmin, Ruth L; Bonfils, Kelsey A; Chun, Charlotte A; Buckner, Julia D; Cohen, Alex S. (2014). Predicting creativity: the role of psychometric schizotypy and cannabis use in divergent thinking.. Psychiatry research, 220(1-2), 205-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.08.044