Marijuana provides psychological relief to those faced with social exclusion

[poledriver]

Marijuana provides psychological relief to those faced with social exclusion

Research published online May 14 in Social Psychological and Personality Science has uncovered that marijuana buffers people from experiencing social pain.

“Prior work has shown that the analgesic acetaminophen, which acts indirectly through CB1 receptors, reduces the pain of social exclusion. The current research provides the first evidence that marijuana also dampens the negative emotional consequences of social exclusion on negative emotional outcomes,” Timothy Deckman of the University of Kentucky and his colleagues wrote in the study.

The four-part study, which included a total of 7040 participants and three methodologies, was based on previous research that found an overlap between physical and social pain. Acetaminophen, which is used in over-the-counter medications like Tylenol, has been found to reduce physical and social pain.

Aceteminophen and marijuana both affect cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors in the brain and both drugs are used to treat physical pain.

For their first two studies, the researchers examined cross-sectional data from major national surveys. The first study used data from the National Comorbidity Study and found marijuana users who reported being lonely had higher levels of self-worth and mental health than non-marijuana users who reported being lonely.

The second study used data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. This second analysis found those used marijuana relatively frequently and experienced social pain were less likely to experience a major depressive episode during the past 12 months.

The third study employed a longitudinal design. The researchers surveyed high school students regarding loneliness, lifetime marijuana use, and depression. The same students were surveyed again two years later. The study found that marijuana use predicted lower levels of depression among students who were lonely. For students who were not lonely, however, marijuana had little impact on depression.

The fourth and final study employed an experimental design with a control group. For this study, the participants played a computer-based game called Cyberball. The preprogrammed 3-player game is designed to evoke social exclusion and rejection by consistently ignoring the participant. Deckman and his colleagues found marijuana users had a smaller decrease in self-esteem and belonging following the game.

“Marijuana has been used to treat physical pain, and the current findings suggest that it may also reduce emotional pain,” the researchers concluded. “This may reflect a poor way of coping with social pain, but it may also explain some of the widespread appeal of marijuana.”

http://www.psypost.org/2013/05/mari...ef-to-those-faced-with-social-exclusion-17936

 

[slimvictor]

marijuana users who reported being lonely had higher levels of self-worth and mental health than non-marijuana users who reported being lonely

those who used marijuana relatively frequently and experienced social pain were less likely to experience a major depressive episode

marijuana use predicted lower levels of depression among students who were lonely

marijuana users had a smaller decrease in self-esteem and belonging following the game.

Amazing. What a wonder-drug this "marijuana" stuff is.
We just saw a study that showed that users are slimmer and have better control of their blood sugar than non-users.
We know it treats physical pain, kills cancer cells, and reduces nausea.
Now this.
Are there any other drugs with such a wide range of positive effects?

 

[JackARoe]

I am not surpised by this four part study. Marijuana is a thinking man's drug. With so many people unable to "disconnect" from society and need to be with somebody 24/7 I learned early on mj perfect being alone and sitting in revery. I am willing to bet that some/most people that don't like mj probably also don't like being alone. At least that is with the people I know that can't handle mj.

What pisses me off is someone like me, who likes to have long periods alone, is sometimes accused of isolating. If I don't want to go out to a bar and prefer to stay in and "think" then that is a social problem according to people. Taking any drug in isolation is considered a "problem". Meanwhile many intelligent people like to smoke and trip while spending a night alone. For me, inspiration comes to me that way. I can spend long hours disconnected. No phone, no texting (I don't text anyway) and contact with other people for a night. Luckly my wife is the same. We have our alone time nights and I'd have to say when I did have mj it made those nights wonderful. Playing guitar, meditating, reading. Absolutely nothing wrong with that!

 

[slimvictor]

^ I am quite a bit like you, I think.
I prefer to stay home and play music, read, write, or draw. I almost never go out to bars. Maybe once a year.
However, I find that there is a certain balance that is necessary. Sometimes, socializing is the best thing I can do.
I prefer to do it by having dinner or going to see live music with friends, rather than going to bars, but the balance between being alone (or with my wife) and being with others is very important!

 

[JackARoe]

I agree Slim. The balance is important and I am in an accoustic band and play a few times a year. So I do have some outlets. But what I notice is too many people that can not shut off the text, ipad, phones, or anything else ever. I was just told the other day by a coworker that he has to be conversing with someone up until he goes to sleep. I see that a lot in society. People not watching where they are going and looking at small screens constantly.

But how many people can enjoy smoking a few hits of weed and sit out on a deck and watch the sunset? Or play guitar alone, or even lay in bed in the dark before going to sleep and totally enjoy their own mind? Most need some form of stimulation. So it could be that mj may not just help with social isolation but that people who can enjoy their own mind do utilize mj. Different drugs for different people.

 

[weekend addiction]

I just moved from a rural southern community where both sides of my family live to a large city in the north. I miss my family and friends as well as my old environment but I needed to get away. Anyway marijuana helps me deal with the social isolation.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Hey, you guys wanna meet up sometime and share a big thick blunt and then awkwardly go our separate ways immediately afterwards?

I'd put it more precisely this way, at least for me: Marijuana eliminates the need to seek out social interaction for its intrinsic joy. It doesn't make me avoid social interaction, at least with people I'm certain don't care I'm a stoner. It doesn't take the joy out of social interaction. But being alone for long periods of time stoned doesn't have those fleeting twinges of odd emptiness that similar periods of sober time has.

The times I've really abused marijuana heavily have often coincided with the times in my adult life that I was most socially marginalized. I had always assumed the causality went the other way -- I'd become socially isolated because I'd turned to pot too much. But now I'm not so sure this was a one-way thing.

I question whether social analgesia is truly desirable in all settings and situations, or to the degree and prevalence that being permabaked achieves. I say this as a pretty sensitive person who has ridden out a lot of life's ups and downs with the help of Mary Jane. I don't enjoy them at the time, but I have definitely endured a few very socially painful situations that I was later grateful I'd gritted my teeth and bore. I don't know that I would have learned the same life lesson if I'd glided over the shame / embarrassment / humiliation / rejection / disappointment / betrayal / pain of loss with bong hit after bong hit. And I sometimes wonder how many chances for growth and greater connection to other people I did miss because I was artificially detached. I remember hearing claims kicked around in the late 90s to early 2000s that MJ stunts emotional growth when used habitually. I don't read that much anymore -- I'm guessing either the studies weren't done or didn't back up that claim. But I can see what might have led to this hypothesis being put forward.

 

[kaywholed]

I think an interesting demographic for this sort of thing would be people that I would consider to have hypersocial service jobs, retail, food service, callcenters, etc, jobs where people have interactions with dozens, to hundreds of people per day. And they relax after work with pot.

 

[Cadamec]

I am not surprised. For me, Sativa heavy weed makes me anxious, Indica based weed relaxes me and I can be a lot ore social.

Anyone else experience his. One of my pet strippers is the same way.

 

[RobotRipping]

haha i'd definitely go for smoking a huge blunt than walking away awkwardly. i like to stay at home and get high, unless you have a bunch of cool instruments at your house, i'm not going anywhere when i'm home and high.

cannabis makes me overly introspective in social situations, i'll just sit there quietly thinking to myself. I'm introverted anyway though.

it's an interesting study, it'd be more interesting if they used a full CB1 agonist, i don't think it'd be quite the same result based on my use of synthetics. i'd definitely get paranoid and take issue if i were systemically being excluded and would likely destroy my self-confidence with self-deprication or unpredictably lash out at the others, depending on the situation.

sativas definitely make me anxious but more social if they aren't too high in THC. Indicas make me really quiet and introverted, which is generally the way i like to be, so not very social at all.

i bet you could replace cannabis with opium in these studies and have the same results. We shouldn't have to treat 'anomie' in the first place.

 

[noone1]

Are these effects truly psychologically long lasting however or are they just the crutch of being on a mild altering drug?

 

[BlueHues]

Amazing. What a wonder-drug this "marijuana" stuff is.
We just saw a study that showed that users are slimmer and have better control of their blood sugar than non-users.
We know it treats physical pain, kills cancer cells, and reduces nausea.
Now this.
Are there any other drugs with such a wide range of positive effects?

When they talk about "preaching to the choir", the choir is SV!

 

[webbykevin]

Marijuana provides psychological relief to those faced with social exclusion..............

because now they can at least hang out with other stoners and they are now on first name terms with the pizza delivery guy.

 

[slimvictor]

Hey, you guys wanna meet up sometime and share a big thick blunt and then awkwardly go our separate ways immediately afterwards?

When they talk about "preaching to the choir", the choir is SV!

I am enjoying this thread! %)

 

[23536]

One of my pet strippers is the same way.

How many pet strippers do you have?

 

[weekend addiction]

I think an interesting demographic for this sort of thing would be people that I would consider to have hypersocial service jobs, retail, food service, callcenters, etc, jobs where people have interactions with dozens, to hundreds of people per day. And they relax after work with pot.

I've managed a small quick service restaurant. Despite having 100's of interactions with customers and staff every day I was pretty lonely until I made some friends at the hotel I lived. Taking somebody's order, even if it's a regular that you know well, is not a substitute for a friend you can talk to about life.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

I think an interesting demographic for this sort of thing would be people that I would consider to have hypersocial service jobs, retail, food service, callcenters, etc, jobs where people have interactions with dozens, to hundreds of people per day. And they relax after work with pot.

I fall into that demographic. My job doesn't require the keen social-game-playing ability which is the ante in business and law offices. But I do fix people for a living after all, and I'd say I'm interacting with people 80-90% of the time I'm at work. I have never once shown up for work having toked that day, and never would. There is a heavy stigma on recreational drug use in the healthcare industry, including tobacco and alcohol in more than occasional small amounts. No one I know through work has any idea of my past or present drug use, and I intend to keep it that way. I've never even hinted at it obliquely, and have even feigned ignorance when the subject has come up. Even if this were not the case though, I don't think the effects of marijuana would do any good for my job performance, or make my job any more enjoyable.

I light up a one-hitter as soon as I get off work, though, as long as I'll be sleeping before I need to go in again.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

This is so cool. Thanks. I think I would be much more social if I smoked less, unfortunately. I'm already pretty social, but I could be more so.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I think an interesting demographic for this sort of thing would be people that I would consider to have hypersocial service jobs, retail, food service, callcenters, etc, jobs where people have interactions with dozens, to hundreds of people per day. And they relax after during work with pot.

fixed

 

[BK Bonkey Kong]

^ Nah, I work in retail sales (I'm still in college so it's hopefully not a career, but I digress...) and I definitely wouldn't smoke before work. I have tried it before and it makes interaction with people utterly painful. Marijuana makes me a much more observant and creative person, but also much more awkward if I am trying to adhere to any social norms. It's best in my experience to leave the weed till after work.