Hashish Changed Social and Food Dominance Differently in Groups of Male Mice

A group-housed mouse study found that hashish effects depended on which animal received treatment and whether dominance was measured socially or around food. Recovery of one hierarchy did not establish recovery of every behavior.

Who received the drug changed the comparison

Treating only the socially dominant male initially weakened his position, followed by recovery with subsequent treatments. Treating the animal dominant in the feeding test produced a more persistent change in that hierarchy. These were different operational definitions of dominance, rather than two interchangeable measurements of one trait.

Treating the whole group produced another pattern

Simultaneous treatment of all three males preserved the social-dominance relationship but reversibly changed feeding order. The original feeding order returned after further treatment. Because the comparison animals also received the drug, an unchanged relative ranking does not establish that each animal's absolute performance or behavior was unaffected.

Sedation and sexual behavior followed different time courses

Initial treatment reduced activity and impaired observed behaviors. Later sessions showed tolerance to sedation, and sexual behavior became more frequent than in controls after the third treatment. That sequence illustrates adaptation within this task; it does not establish increased human sexual function or a general behavioral benefit from cannabis.

Interpreting the evidence

This experiment makes the social setting part of the scientific result. Species, extract, treatment allocation and the definition of dominance all constrain its relevance to a human behavioral claim.

Related reading: reproductive endpoints and human fertility evidence.

Research reference

Sieber B; Frischknecht HR; Waser PG (1981). Behavioral effects of hashish in mice. IV. Social dominance, food dominance, and sexual behavior within a group of males. Psychopharmacology. doi:10.1007/BF00429205. Evidence basis: study abstract.