Contrary to popular myth, weed doesn't make you lazy, say researchers at the University of Cambridge. "Users of cannabis showed no difference in motivation, pleasure taken from rewards, or the brain's response to reward-seeking compared to non-cannabis users," reports Neuroscience News. The study looked at adult and adolescent cannabis users and found that neither group exhibited the kind of apathy commonly associated with weed smokers.
Cannabis users scored slightly lower than non-users on anhedonia—in other words, they appeared better able to enjoy themselves—but there was no significant difference when it came to apathy. The researchers also found no link between frequency of cannabis use and either apathy or anhedonia in the people who used cannabis.
Martine Skumlien, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, said, "We were surprised to see that there was really very little difference between cannabis users and non-users when it came to lack of motivation or lack of enjoyment, even among those who used cannabis every day. This is contrary to the stereotypical portrayal we see on TV and in movies."
