Pills that make you smart: Nootropics - the new coffee
As a kid going to primary school or high-school there surely were a few times when you wished there was a pill which made you smart. You would simply take one pill and instantly you would have all the knowledge you need.
Yes, the dream of every pupil and student…
Too bad it is not a reality and will never be… Wait, or will it?
Some claim that pills which make you smarter already exist and many college students already use them. They are called nootropics or cognitive enhancers and are designed to boost your memory, your motivation and determination, your focus and even your problem solving skills.
I am not going to talk about the myriad of issues and questions regarding nootropics as there is not a universal answer to any of those questions. If you are not familiar with nootropics you can read about them here: ‘What are nootropics'; and then you can check on forums and social platforms for all the moral and ethical dilemmas nootropics pose.
You can be for nootropics or against them but the fact is they are already here. Studies say that up to 20% of students are using nootropics already and that 50% of the remaining students are considering using them.
To many people this news is absolutely shocking. But the truth is far more amusing - over 95% of active population is regularly using a nootropic and are even addicted with it. Chances are that a nootropic is right now sitting next to your computer - coffee. Well, coffee is not a nootropic, caffeine is.
Yes, caffeine is a nootropic and a pretty strong one at that, but most people have already been abusing it for so long that they barely feel any effect at all. Caffeine is also a stimulant and this is where its negative side effects stem from as it puts our bodies on overdrive. Pure nootropics have no stimulating effect on our muscles and hence none of the related side effects either. This does not mean nootropics have no side effects per se as some can have very nasty ones but it all depends on which nootropic you use.
You are probably thinking coffee and nootropics can hardly be compared after all everybody drinks coffee. Sure, everybody drinks coffee now but the story was much different 500 years ago when coffee was extremely expensive and difficult to get. When you ingest enough caffeine (without having too big of a tolerance already) it makes you more daring, a bit reckless and makes you think faster. Because of that young people can get more rebellious and in medieval Europe coffee was considered to be bad, even evil because of that. Coffee was banned by church and coffee drinkers were shunned by society. Coffee had a worse reputation than hard drugs do today.
Do you now see that the social statuses of coffee and nootropics are comparable?
They both triggered total outrage and fear in the general public.
Fortunately coffee soon lost its bad reputation and played a major role in the upcoming technological revolutions. Some even go as far to say modern science would not be what it is today without caffeine.
Now consider what effect nootropics could have. They could give us a cognitive boost several times stronger than caffeine and without harmful stimulant effects. Could we shorten college courses for 1 year and hence decrease their total price? How about decreasing the workweek to 30 hours (6 hours per day) due to better performance? Or simply having a higher productivity and hence earning more?
I am not saying nootropics could not be abused by some or even by the society as a whole. I am not saying nootropics are great or even good. But they are here and they are getting increasingly potent. If we are to judge them correctly we must educate ourselves about them and about the things that came before them.
I do not know where all this will take us. But i know 8 years ago i would refuse to even look at anything containing caffeine and now i find myself drinking caffeine shots with herbs which names i cannot even pronounce, much less spell. Yes, those herbs are bordering on nootropics so i cannot help but wonder if another 8 years from now nootropics will be as common as Red Bull.
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Interesting article!
Which herbs with complicated names do you consume?
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It is said that the effect of coffee is negated with just a small amount of milk. For example: a true turkish coffee loses it's potency with just 3 table spoons of milk. As we all know alot of people pour more then just this amount of milk in thier coffee. So what are they actualy left with? Placebo effect?
Nootropics taken safely and with the right stack can yield incredible results. I know that my creativity and productivity have gone through the roof since starting. You just have to take it slow and see what works with your body chemistry. It also helps if you have a doctor who understands them and can help you choose the best ones for you. That is where the 8 year period may come in. Here is a great video of Dave Asprey, the Bulletproof guy, talking about his journey with Nootropics: http://www.brainhacking.ninja/?s=Dave+Asprey
Thank you for the video :)
May i ask which compounds you have in your stacks? I am really tempted to try nootropics because i have passed safe caffeine levels a while ago... and would really like to find a good substitute for it (more powerful and less taxing on the heart).
Unfortunately doctors will not help me with this as their doctrine is still very backwater where i live. So i was thinking of starting with something generic like alpha brain to deep my toes into the water. Would you say it is an ok starting choice?