What do I mean by that ? What I mean is this paper finds that people who are more open to experience are more likely to use cannabis and people who use cannabis are going to be more open to new experiences . And that combination of features , openness to experience and what that openness to new experiences brings enhances the convergent and divergent thinking that is characteristic of the creative process .
So if somebody asks you or if you're wondering , or if you feel like cannabis increases creativity in some sense , the answer is yes , but the answer is yes . Because of the ways that it shapes openness to new ideas and can I should say can because not in everybody but can in some individuals reduce anxiety . What this means is that if you are somebody who experiences anxiety or increased levels of focus from cannabis , regardless of the strain .
And here I have to imagine people are exploring different strains if they're exploring them at all , exploring different modes of delivery , smoking or ingestible , et cetera . If you're somebody who experiences anxiety , it's very likely that you won't have the increased openness to experience and divergent ideas that will facilitate creativity . However , if you are somebody who achieves heightened levels of relaxation and reduce levels of anxiety from cannabis , regardless of which strain we happen to be talking about , well , then yes , it will position you to be in a heightened state of creativity at least as defined by convergent and divergent thinking .
So it's not necessarily that cannabis is increasing the capacity of the brain areas that are associated with creativity , but rather are cannabis appears to be increasing in openness and probably doing that in part through lowering anxiety in particular people . And that openness is leading to inclusion of more ideas during the divergent thinking process , right ? They're willing to consider throwing up more things on the wall to see if they stick so to speak .
What I mean is this paper finds that people who are more open to experience are more likely to use cannabis and people who use cannabis are going to be more open to new experiences . And that combination of features , openness to experience and what that openness to new experiences brings enhances the convergent and divergent thinking that is characteristic of the creative process . So in short , cannabis increases creativity , but through changes in personality that tap into the creative process rather than directly impacting the neural circuits that for instance , turn on creativity .
