Can Cannabis Spark Creativity?

From musician Lady Gaga to poet Maya Angelou to astronomer Carl Sagan, many highly respected and talented people believe that cannabis and creativity are intricately linked. There are certainly enough famous people who revel in using cannabis, which they say sparks creativity.

Here’s how the link between cannabis and imagination works according to scientists.

Circulate Blood to Where Your Creative Juices Flow

Research reveals cannabis consumption may increase cerebral blood flow (CBF) to the frontal lobe. A 2020 study corroborates earlier research dating back to 2002.

• This is the area of the brain associated with creativity. Therefore, it stands to reason that cannabis use and creativity, as so many artists, scientists and entrepreneurs say, may have a close connection.

• First, cannabis activates the nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain associated with creativity. Second, this area of the brain is related to creative divergent thinking. Learn more about the importance of divergent thinking below.

Divergent Thinking and Creativity

Divergent thinking involves ideation and looking at situations in new ways.

• Visionary thinking opens the doors to new thoughts and solutions. It’s also used as a measure of creativity. Brainstorming, writing and creative thinking all stem from divergent thought patterns.

• On the other hand, convergent thinking is responsible for tradition and cohesion. It’s important for many elements of socialization. However, by encouraging divergent thinking, cannabis use may help you think independently and creatively.

• According to the Journal of Business Venturing by Washington State University, using cannabis helped entrepreneurs generate creative but impractical ideas such as gravity-free virtual reality workouts. However, this type of entrepreneurial thinking must be tempered with feasibility.

Research suggests that low doses of cannabis may help creativity while larger doses could lead to impractical thought patterns.

Cannabis Dosage and Creativity

Another study indicates that dosage plays a key role in the connection between creativity and cannabis.

• Low doses of 5.5 mg of THC, for example, improved fluency and flexibility, which are both aspects of divergent thinking that help you vary your thought patterns, sparking creative solutions.

• Doses exceeding 22 mg of THC may hinder originality and the ability to elaborate creative ideas.

Find Out What Works for You

Cannabis increases cerebral blood flow which may facilitate prefrontal lobe activity that is associated with creativity. It may make less creative people more creative, but dosage has an impact on the practicality of creative thoughts.

At the end of the day, it’s up to each person to decide what strains and doses awaken their creative muse.

Feel free to contact the Standing Akimbo staff if you need help choosing products that tap into your creative spirit and create a serene environment in which music, art and creative solutions can percolate.