Why Do I Feel Antisocial After Smoking Weed?

Ever find yourself turning down invites to hang out after lighting up a joint? Maybe you’re wondering why you feel like embracing your inner hermit rather than socializing when you’ve got a bit of the green in your system.

You’re not alone in this, and you’ve landed on the right page because we’re about to dive deep into the relationship between smoking weed and feeling antisocial.

How Does Weed Affect Our Social Behavior?

You know that feeling when you’ve taken a hit and the world suddenly seems different, right? That’s our friend THC—the primary psychoactive ingredient in weed—working its magic. THC is like that unexpected guest who shows up at your brain’s party and starts messing with the music, changing the vibes.

Picture your brain as a bustling city, with little neurotransmitters acting like the cars, driving messages from one point to another. They help regulate everything from your mood to, you guessed it, social behavior.

Read also: Can You Get High from Smelling Weed

Now, when THC enters your brain, it’s like an unlicensed driver getting behind the wheel. Specifically, it binds with certain receptors called CB1 receptors.

These CB1 receptors are part of the endocannabinoid system, which plays a key role in managing our brain’s energy consumption. And guess what? Social interaction is an activity that requires energy.

So, when THC messes with your brain’s energy management, it can also tamper with your social drive. It’s like your brain suddenly deciding it doesn’t have the energy for a social outing and would rather stay in and chill.

But the effect of weed on your social behavior isn’t always about turning you into a couch potato. Some people might become more talkative, some might get the giggles, and others might turn into philosophers, deeply contemplating the meaning of life.

Your unique brain chemistry, mood, and the strain of cannabis you’re using can all affect how you interact socially after using weed.

In short, cannabis can tweak our social behavior in a variety of ways, largely thanks to THC’s impact on our brain’s energy management and mood regulation.

So the next time you light up, remember that you’re not just sparking a joint—you’re also sparking a fascinating chain reaction in your brain’s social networking system.

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Is It Normal to Feel Antisocial After Smoking Cannabis?

Absolutely, yes. Feeling antisocial after smoking weed is a fairly common experience among users.

But why does this happen?

ALSO READ: Is It Also Normal To Feel Horny When Using Weed?

Why Do I Feel Antisocial After Using Cannabis?

Alright, let’s dive into this.

Remember how we mentioned that feeling antisocial after smoking cannabis is a normal experience for many people? Well, we’re now going to delve deeper into why this might be the case.

First off, let’s revisit our good ol’ friend, the CB1 receptor, and its love-hate relationship with THC, the active compound in cannabis. As per this study^[1], this little interaction causes a bit of a stir in the brain’s usual social energy management, almost like a mini power outage in your social circuits.

The result? You might not feel up to hanging with others as much as you usually would. In other words, your brain’s social battery is experiencing a bit of a drain, and you might find yourself craving some solitude.

Additional Studies

Now, here’s where the plot thickens. It appears that there might be a correlation between long-term, regular cannabis use and a shift towards antisocial behavior.

If you’ve been a frequent flyer in the cannabis club since your youth, you might be more inclined to exhibit antisocial behaviors in adulthood, as pointed out in these studies.

Study 2

Study 2 investigates the relationship between adolescent cannabis use and the risk of developing psychosis in adulthood. The study provides compelling evidence that adolescent cannabis use may significantly increase the risk of experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia later in life.

They found that heavy cannabis use at age 18 could increase the risk of later schizophrenia sixfold.

Moreover, this study found that the risk was particularly high for those who began using cannabis by age 15, suggesting a stronger association between early-onset cannabis use and schizophrenia outcomes compared to later cannabis use.

Study 3

In Study 3, researchers analyzed the relationship between cannabis use and antisocial behavior among young adults.

The study found a significant positive correlation between cannabis use and antisocial behavior. Importantly, this association was stronger for more frequent cannabis users.

This also concluded that neither general strain theory nor social bond theory could fully explain the observed associations, suggesting the need for further research to fully understand this complex relationship.

Study 4

Study 4, built upon the findings of the previous studies, and added a temporal dimension to the research by identifying five distinct trajectories of marijuana use from adolescence to age 32: never-users, quitters/decreasers, occasional users, chronic users, and increasing users.

The study found that chronic users and increasing users were associated with a higher risk of exhibiting antisocial behavior in adulthood.

It’s not a guarantee, but it’s something that’s shown up in the data.

But, and this is a big but, remember that these findings don’t necessarily apply to everyone. We’re all unique, and our reactions to cannabis can vary widely. These studies offer us a glimpse into the patterns observed in large groups of people, not hard and fast rules for every individual.

And let’s not forget, feeling antisocial isn’t inherently negative. Some people find that cannabis enhances their introspective moments, allowing them to take a breather and enjoy some quality alone time.

Does Being Antisocial Because of Weed Lead to Abusing It?

Alright, let’s wade into some deep waters here. It’s an important question, and we want to be clear: there’s no definitive evidence showing that feeling antisocial due to cannabis leads directly to abusing it.

However, it’s a complex issue with a lot of nuances.

To start, it’s important to distinguish between feeling antisocial temporarily after using weed, and having an antisocial personality disorder. The two are not the same. The latter is a chronic condition characterized by a disregard for others’ rights and a lack of empathy. That said, there’s some intriguing research linking antisocial personality disorder with substance use disorders.

For instance, in this study, it’s been found that around 90% of people with antisocial personality disorder have a co-occurring substance use disorder, and about a quarter of these individuals have been known to abuse cannabis. Furthermore, there’s a strong association between antisocial personality disorder, marijuana use, and marijuana use disorder.

What’s more interesting is that there’s some emerging evidence suggesting a connection between aggressive psychiatric conditions, like antisocial personality disorder, and a decreased activation of our body’s natural cannabinoid system. That’s right – we’re back to those pesky cannabinoid receptors again!

But remember, correlation does not imply causation. Just because these associations exist, it doesn’t mean that one causes the other.

Feeling antisocial after smoking cannabis is a personal and subjective experience, and it doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to develop a substance abuse problem.

What Can You Do to Avoid Being Antisocial After Smoking Weed?

So if you’ve been feeling a bit of a wallflower, wondering what to do about it. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

Here are some steps that you can take:

1. Start by understanding your personal limits with cannabis—everyone’s response to it varies. Consider inviting trusted friends over for a shared sesh, which might help counteract feelings of isolation.

2. Use the calm and introspective moments as an opportunity to channel your creativity—write, draw, or play music.

CONTINUE READING: What Things Can You Do While High?

3. Staying physically active can also be helpful; exercise releases endorphins, those feel-good chemicals in your brain.

4. You might also find solace in cooking; it’s a therapeutic activity that can also help ground your senses.

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5. Mindfulness practices such as meditation or deep breathing can help you stay present and connected.

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6. And if these don’t work, it’s okay to take a tolerance break; giving your body a breather from cannabis can help reset its response to the substance.

Conclusion

In the end, the relationship between cannabis use, antisocial feelings, and substance abuse is intricate, and more research is needed to unravel this complex web. Stay informed, understand your usage habits, and above all, prioritize your wellbeing, my friend.

At BMWO, we believe in enjoying cannabis responsibly and mindfully. We’re not just here to provide high-quality cannabis products, but we’re also committed to empowering you with high-quality information like this.

After all, the more you understand about cannabis, the more you can make it work for you and enhance your life— one where you’re in control, and not the other way around.