Cannabis Users Show Deficits in Reading Emotions But Normal Levels of Emotional Empathy
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.
Quick Facts
What This Study 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.
Key Numbers
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 They Did This
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).
Why This Research 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 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.
What This Study Doesn't 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.
Questions This Raises
- ?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?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Deficient emotion recognition but intact emotional empathy
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate: validated test battery and reasonable sample size, but cross-sectional design with non-matched control group.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2025.
- Original Title:
- Validation of the Spanish version of the multifaceted empathy test: comparison between cannabis use effects and controls in social cognition.
- Published In:
- International clinical psychopharmacology, 40(2), 100-109 (2025)
- Authors:
- Sainz-Cort, Alberto(3), Martín-Islas, Marta, Jimenez-Garrido, Daniel(3), López-Navarro, Miriam, Oña, Genís, Muñoz-Marron, Elena, Heredia, Luis, Gil-Pérez, Mercè, Torrente, Margarita, Vicens, Paloma, Bouso, José Carlos
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07553
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does cannabis affect empathy?
This study found cannabis users under the influence had difficulty recognizing emotions (especially positive ones) but maintained normal overall emotional empathy. They showed specifically dampened reactions to negative emotional stimuli.
Can you read people's emotions while high?
This study found cannabis impaired the ability to recognize emotions from facial expressions, particularly positive emotions. However, the capacity to feel empathy was largely preserved.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07553APA
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
MLA
Sainz-Cort, Alberto, et al. "Validation of the Spanish version of the multifaceted empathy test: comparison between cannabis use effects and controls in social cognition.." International clinical psychopharmacology, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1097/YIC.0000000000000544
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Validation of the Spanish version of the multifaceted empath..." RTHC-07553. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/sainz-cort-2025-validation-of-the-spanish
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.