2022 Study: CBD for Test Anxiety

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A July 2022 peer-reviewed research study entitled "A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-controlled Test of the Effects of Cannabidiol on Experiences of Test Anxiety Among College Students" that was published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research investigated the potential effects of CBD for reducing anxiety in college students.

The research observed that "oral administration of cannabidiol (CBD) has shown to yield a variety of therapeutic benefits among humans, particularly regarding symptoms of anxiety."

The study observed how administration of single oral doses of CBD (of 150 mg, 300 mg, and 600 mg) compared to placebo when given to "32 healthy college students who self-reported moderate-to-severe levels of test anxiety."

Following consumption of CBD, "participants completed a statistics examination and measures of test anxiety and general anxiety during examination administration."

Study participants attended an experimental session and received a dose of CBD or placebo "in a double-blind procedure." Following consumption of CBD, "participants completed a statistics examination and measures of test anxiety and general anxiety during examination administration."

Results

"Results indicated no effect of CBD dose on self-reported test anxiety or general anxiety," reported the study's authors. They concluded that theirs was the "first study to demonstrate that CBD does not reduce experiences of test anxiety."

The scientists recommended future studies in an effort to "examine the underlying mechanisms and affective states related to anxiety for which CBD may offer anxiolytic [anxiety reducing] benefits and for whom."

"Results indicated no effect of CBD dose on self-reported test anxiety or general anxiety," reported the study's authors.

This study illustrates why additional research—particularly clinical trials involving actual human subjects—are necessary to better understand the complex mechanisms involved in anxiety and how CBD sometimes show positive outcomes and reduces anxiety, but sometimes also does not.

This study reflects the reality of subjective efficacy among humans and how not all consumers or patients experience the same results from a particular dose of a cannabinoid such as CBD, CBG, or THC.