Head in the clouds? Cannabis users' creativity in new venture ideation depends on their entrepreneurial passion and experience
Benjamin J. Warnick, Alexander S. Kier, Emily M LaFrance, Carrie Cuttler
March 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2020.106088 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study |
|---|---|
| Population | Entrepreneurs, including cannabis users and non-users |
| Intervention | Cannabis |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Cannabis users generated new venture ideas that were more original but less feasible than those of non-users. The originality increase and feasibility decrease were greater among users with entrepreneurial passion for inventing and smaller among users with more founding experience, suggesting cognitive, motivational, and experiential factors jointly shape ideation. |
Abstract
Abstract New venture ideation is critical to the entrepreneurial process. To generate creative ideas, some entrepreneurs turn to cannabis, proposing its benefits. However, extant research has not validated such claims. Using a new venture ideation task, we explore differences between cannabis users' and non-users' creativity in new venture ideation by assessing the originality and feasibility of their ideas. We theorized and found that cannabis users generate new venture ideas that are more original, but less feasible, compared to non-users. Further building upon creativity research emphasizing that motivation and knowledge shape creative thinking, we theorize that the cognitive effects of being a cannabis user on idea originality and feasibility are influenced by entrepreneurial passion for inventing—which reflects motivation to explore new venture ideas—and entrepreneurial experience (i.e., founding experience). Consistent with our theorizing, the increased originality and decreased feasibility of cannabis users' ideas surfaced to the extent that they had entrepreneurial passion for inventing and diminished commensurate with their entrepreneurial experience. Our study contributes to the literatures on new venture ideation, entrepreneurial passion, entrepreneurial experience, and cannabis users' creativity by providing an integrated perspective of cognitive, motivational, and experiential factors that drive entrepreneurs' creativity.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis People with first episode of psychosis and healthy controls from the local population | 2009 | Case-control study | n = 454 |
| Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Rural aboriginal population | 2013 | Observational study | |
| Impaired cognitive performance in drug free users of recreational ecstasy (MDMA) Otherwise healthy young people | 2000 | Observational | |
| Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study Individuals from the general population in Germany aged 14-24 at baseline | 2011 | Observational cohort | n = 1,923 |
| Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases Patients treated for cannabis-induced psychotic symptoms in Denmark between 1994 and... | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 535 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 8
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Investigating the interaction between schizotypy, divergent thinking and cannabis use Consciousness and Cognition January 10, 2012
- Cannabis and Ecstasy/MDMA: Empirical Measures of Creativity in Recreational Users Journal of Psychoactive Drugs December 1, 2009
- Sex Differences in Cannabis Use and Effects: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Cannabis Users. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research 2016
- Long-term effects of marijuana use on the brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 25, 2014
and 3 more in the library