Cannabis users tested while under the influence showed impaired ability to recognize emotions (especially positive ones) but maintained normal overall emotional empathy, with a dampened reaction to negative stimuli.
People interested in how cannabis affects social cognition and emotional processing.
Deficient emotion recognition but intact emotional empathy
What the researchers found
116 participants from a Cannabis Social Club completed empathy tests under the effects of cannabis and were compared to 86 sober university students. Cannabis users showed deficient overall emotional recognition, with particular difficulty recognizing emotions from positive stimuli. Overall emotional empathy scores were similar between groups, but cannabis users scored lower when presented with negative stimuli, suggesting a dampened emotional reaction to negative content.
Why it matters
Empathy and emotional recognition are fundamental to social functioning. This study provides the first evidence that cannabis specifically dampens reactions to negative emotional stimuli while impairing recognition of positive emotions, offering a nuanced picture of how cannabis affects social cognition.
The numbers in context
116 cannabis users (under the influence) vs 86 controls. Deficient overall emotional recognition. Reduced scores for positive stimuli. Similar overall emotional empathy. Lower emotional empathy specifically for negative stimuli.
How the study worked
Cross-sectional comparison of 116 Cannabis Social Club members (tested under cannabis effects) and 86 university student controls. Used the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET) Spanish version and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET).
What this study cannot tell us
Cross-sectional design cannot determine if cannabis caused the differences or if pre-existing differences led to cannabis use. Cannabis users and controls differ in many ways beyond cannabis use. Acute intoxication effects may differ from chronic effects. Self-selection into Cannabis Social Clubs.
How to read the evidence
Moderate: validated test battery and reasonable sample size, but cross-sectional design with non-matched control group.
When this study was published
Published in 2025.
The bigger picture
Cannabis users often report using cannabis to manage negative emotions. The finding that cannabis dampens emotional reactions specifically to negative stimuli could reflect a mechanism behind this self-medication pattern, though it may also impair important social cues.
Questions still open
- Do these empathy changes persist when not under the influence?
- Could the dampened reaction to negative stimuli explain why some people use cannabis for emotional regulation?
- Do different cannabis strains or cannabinoids affect empathy differently?
Common questions
Does cannabis affect empathy?
Can you read people's emotions while high?
Read the original research
Validation of the Spanish version of the multifaceted empathy test: comparison between cannabis use effects and controls in social cognition.
International clinical psychopharmacology, 40(2), 100-109
Citation
Sainz-Cort, Alberto; Martín-Islas, Marta; Jimenez-Garrido, Daniel; López-Navarro, Miriam; Oña, Genís; Muñoz-Marron, Elena; Heredia, Luis; Gil-Pérez, Mercè; Torrente, Margarita; Vicens, Paloma; Bouso, José Carlos. (2025). Validation of the Spanish version of the multifaceted empathy test: comparison between cannabis use effects and controls in social cognition.. International clinical psychopharmacology, 40(2), 100-109. https://doi.org/10.1097/YIC.0000000000000544
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