Could we become Limitless? 🧐

Limitless
“Limitless” is a fiction movie directed by Neil Burger Starring; Bradley Cooper, Anna Friel, and Abbie Cornish. The movie is about a mysterious pill known as NZT, and it allows the consumer to activate their brain at 100 percent of their abilities. Eddie Morra played by Cooper is a struggling writer who becomes a financial wizard, but also puts him in a new world with lots of dangers. Taking a “smart pill,” his life will change instantaneously making him very successful in life. The powerful smart drug was able to help him write a #1 selling book in only four days, as well as learn a new language in a matter of hours, and show much more skills than lawyers, criminals, and financial advisers. Becoming a “...mega-brain on steroids, a Superman for the Information Age” (Honeycutt). Although, taking smart pills that would make someone extremely smart might sound a little unreal, is it possible that in the real world there could be a “smart pill”? The movie created controversy making their audience question if such a thing could be possible, and if it is what drugs are there on the real market that could make your brain function at its full potential.
The power fantasy created by "Limitless," was able to attract numerous people because "...just about everyone harbors the desire to be smarter, to be more than what you are" (Narcisse). At the beginning of the movie Eddie is going through life challenges after being dumped by his girlfriend Lindy, his career as a writer becomes a complete disaster not being able to concentrate and focus on his goals. During the famous scene where Eddie takes his first pill without knowing what exactly this drug would do. Walking back to his apartment, he faces his annoying landlord’s wife that confronts him immediately since he has been past due on rent. As the drug kicked in, Hollywood’s visual effects take place making everything around him more clearly and colorful, and the landlord's wife irritating voice starts echoing. These Hollywood aspects create a better effect, as viewers are able to imagine how distinctly Eddie was able to see his surroundings while on the drug. The director also uses a slight silence with distant sounds to create a more intensified reaction of what it would be like to be on NZT.
Although similar legal brain drugs exist on the market, there is nothing that can have effects on someone's brain as the NZT. And unfortunately, many advertisers were able to use the movie’s success to sell stuff that was not even close to the fantasy NZT. Many brain drugs on the online market “...make outrageous claims without backing it up with any real science… Even worse, most of them don't even list how much of each ingredient are inside of their capsules” (Krebs). In reality, NZT has been compared to Modafinil or Provigil, which is a drug commonly prescribed for individuals with narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is known to cause “...daytime sleepiness, abnormal rapid eye movement sleep, and cataplexy (brief attacks of muscle weakness and tone triggered by strong emotions)” (Davis). The existence of a real “NZT-48” pill is just a fantasy, making shady companies have an opportunity to take advantage of people for something that is just not possible. Yes, there are drugs like Modafinil and Provigil that can improve your focus, memory, and motivation but there is no science evidence of a real NZT.
Another impressive scene is when Eddie being in the full effects of the powerful drug, he is able to speak Italian to an Italian waitress as he is having dinner with his ex-girlfriend. The use of the camera in this scene focuses on the facial expressions made by Lindy as she was astonished hearing Eddie speak Italian. Lindy was not just intrigued on how Eddie was able to speak Italian fluently but also on how he was able to finish a very successful novel that made a killing in the stock market. Is this possible in the real world? Scanning the web you can “...find stories of wannabe writers taking drugs like Adderall to help them concentrate, while other creative types swear by the shot glass or caffeine rush to channel their creativity” (Narcisse). There are many claims out there that we as humans are only able to use 10% of our brain, however, psychologist Paula Caplan says “We have no idea how much of the brain is actually used” (Narcisse). Many people fall under the impression that if a researcher claims they found something, then the finding turns in a fact. So, according to Paula Caplan, there is no way to qualify the use of our brains in terms of percentage. An average worker in the United States works much more than they did 10 years ago. And having busy lives makes harder to seek for psychotherapy or other activities that could improve their brain function and distress. That is when the idea of simply taking a pill in order stay sharp becomes very attractive.
However, in real life as in Limitless, taking a pill as a quick fix may have negative consequences. The breaking point, bringing the downside scene of the side effects is when Eddie starts running out of the NZT and his body doesn’t know how to react without it. Meeting with a very sick pale woman named Melissa who also took NZT, he finds out that not taking the drug will cause nausea, headaches, and dead. Melissa encourages Eddie to take the drugs if he wants to survive and therefore Eddie must find a solution immediately as his life is in danger. In real life, Modafinil and Provigil known to be very effective in making you stay sharp and focus can have very intimidating side effects that will make you think twice about taking them. The side effects can be a headache, dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, nausea, diarrhea, nervousness, anxiety, dry mouth, and trouble sleeping. Even though the side effects might sound scary, Modafinil is not addictive but it does have a risk of abuse in which case will make you sick (Asprey).
Having the opportunity of activating our brains at their full potential might be a fantasy dream for years to come, and it is probably never going to be possible in the real world. Someone can keep searching for a powerful smart drug that can change a very unsuccessful life into a successful one, but in reality, nothing is better than staying away from drugs that can have a very negative health impact in our bodies. The movie “Limitless” at the end of the day, is a fiction movie that was very successful at making people search and buy brain enhancing drugs that will make someone focus on a school assignment, work project, or even at having better ideas for a business. But there is no real drug like NZT that will make someone have a brain on steroids, and if there was it is most likely to have very bad side effects.

Works Cited
Asprey, Dave. “Modafinil: The Rise of Smart Drugs” Bulletproof 360. Bulletproof 360, Inc., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
Davis, Kathleen. “Narcolepsy: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments” Medicalnewstoday. Medicalnewstoday, 15 March. 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.
Honeycutt, Kirk. “Limitless: Film Review.” Hollywoodreporter. Hollywoodreporter, 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.
Narcisse, Evan. “Fact vs. Fiction: The Science of ‘Limitless.’” Techland. Techland, 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Krebs, Roy. “Does an NZT-48 Pill Really Exist? Is it a Nootropic?” Naturalstacks. Naturalstacks, 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.