Personality, not cognition, distinguishes chronic ayahuasca and cannabis users from non-users
José Carlos Bouso, Óscar Andión, Sabela Fondevila Estévez, Débora González, Ángel Alcázar-córcoles Miguel, Maja Kohek, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Jaime E. C. Hallak, Jordi Riba
European Neuropsychopharmacology February 12, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2026.112782 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 219 |
| Population | Regular users of ayahuasca, regular users of cannabis, and non-substance users matched by age, education, and IQ |
| Topics | Anxiety Ayahuasca Cannabis |
| Keywords | Clinical psychology Psychopathology Mood Harm avoidance Personality Neuropsychology Neurocognitive Novelty seeking Cognition Impulsivity Demographics Sensation seeking |
| Key findings | Chronic use of ayahuasca or cannabis is not associated with detectable lasting neuropsychological impairments in executive and working memory tasks, and personality characteristics most clearly distinguish chronic users from non-users. |
Abstract
The increasing interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and cannabis underscores the need to understand their long-term neuropsychological and personality effects. This cross-sectional study compared regular users of ayahuasca (n = 69), cannabis (n = 56), and non-substance users (n = 94) on a battery of neuropsychological tasks and psychological questionnaires. Participants were matched by age, education, and IQ and abstained from drug use for at least 10-30 days before assessment. No significant group differences were observed in neuropsychological performance. However, multinomial regression analyses revealed that personality traits best distinguished the user groups. Ayahuasca users exhibited significantly higher self-transcendence and lower harm avoidance and persistence, while cannabis users were associated with higher novelty seeking and impulsive nonconformity, as well as lower introvertive anhedonia. These results persisted after controlling for demographics and psychiatric history. Contrary to previous findings associating cannabis with neurocognitive impairments and psychopathology, no significant deficits were found in the abstinent cannabis users. Similarly, ayahuasca users, despite a higher lifetime prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders, showed no current psychopathological symptoms. Our findings suggest that chronic use of ayahuasca or cannabis is not associated with detectable lasting neuropsychological impairments in the executive and working memory tasks assessed in this study, and that personality characteristics-rather than cognition or psychopathology-most clearly distinguish chronic users from non-users. However, these results are based on a cross-sectional, self-selected, non-treatment-seeking sample and may therefore not be representative of all ayahuasca and cannabis users. These insights may inform future clinical applications and safety evaluations of these substances.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for 2 syntheses in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Chronic ayahuasca use was not associated with detectable lasting neuropsychological impairments, and ayahuasca users showed no current psychopathological symptoms despite a higher lifetime prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders.
Synthesized
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Abstinent chronic cannabis users showed no significant neuropsychological deficits and no current psychopathological symptoms despite higher lifetime mood and anxiety disorder prevalence.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on cannabis for anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis vaping and mental health: The association of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol with anxiety and depressive symptoms-Findings from the United States National Youth Tobacco Survey (2021-2023). US adolescents aged 11 to 18, 51.3% males | 2026 | Observational study (cross-sectional survey analysis) | n = 69,899 |
| Cannabis Use is Related to Anhedonia in Adolescents With Diverse Mood and Anxiety Symptoms. Adolescents presenting predominantly with mood and anxiety symptoms | 2025 | Cross-sectional study | n = 153 |
| Age‐varying effects of cannabis use frequency and disorder on symptoms of psychosis, depression and anxiety in adolescents and adults Adolescents from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (V-HYS) and adults from the United... | 2018 | Time-varying effect models using longitudinal and cross-sectional data | n = 36,971 |