Marijuana-using rats are lazy

Forbes featured UBC research that found THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, makes rats less likely to exert the cognitive effort needed for difficult tasks.

Lead researcher Mason Silveira, a psychology PhD candidate at UBC, said the rats were less likely to do more difficult tasks though they still had the ability to complete them. The difference was their willingness to use their cognitive abilities.

“Previous work has shown that THC can affect executive abilities, but no one has looked at how the drug may influence how you choose to allocate your cognitive resources,” he said. “We think this is an important question to consider, given that big decisions humans face often involve deciding how much mental energy you are willing to invest for a particular outcome,” Silveira said.

Similar stories appeared in the Daily MailNew York Daily NewsMashable, Medical XpressCBC, CTV, GlobalToronto Star, Globe and MailNational Observer, iPolitics, Winnipeg Free Press, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, News 1130, Metro News, Daily Hive, Castanet and 24 Hours Vancouver.

Catharine Winstanley, a UBC psychology professor, was interviewed about the same study on CBC (51:43 mark) and Global (17:12 mark).