Paying attention: Once everyone wanted to get fuzzy, dizzy and out of it. Now, the trend is to be sharper, hyperfocused, and intellectually both agile and creative. In addition to exercise (which has long been noted for the stellar intellectual enhancement a good workout produces), the new trend is to nootropic drugs: pharmaceuticals and supplements designed specifically to increase intellectual capabilities and energy.
Nootropics are a bit like steroids for your brain. They (theoretically) enhance your cognitive powers and also your ability to focus for long periods of time. Both are important additions to your intellectual skill set. If you feel like you just have too much work to do and not enough time to do it, you may find that nootropic drugs can speed up work without degrading accuracy. Also, they are reputed to be non-toxic and non-addicting, although–as with any new class of drug–there’s not enough long term research to verify the benefits or the hazards of these brain boosters.
Some of the names of nootropic supplements may be familiar to you: caffeine (who hasn’t reached for a cup of coffee when it’s late night, there’s work to do, and you’re slowing down), St. Johns Wort, ginseng. Other names may not: piracetam, Modafinal, Adrafinil, Anaracetam.
Nootropics are taken one supplement at a time or, more commonly, in “stacks”–which are different supplements in different dosages that combine to deliver the desired combination of mental boosts. (you can read more about nootropic strategies for use in the selection of articles listed below; such research is highly recommended).
The nootropic movement is popular, it’s growing (50,000 subscribers to the topic on Reddit), both scientists and regular citizens are interested in the segment (over 3,000 scientific papers published thus far), and the societal and cultural state of our society at this point in time make it easy to justify the use–or at least the testing–of nootropics.
Whether or not nootropics turn out to be the real life equivalent of a “smart pill”, only time will tell. But one thing can be agreed upon: being smarter is a good thing in the hyper-achievement world we currently exist in.
Below please find a ClickPak of articles on nootropics. Certainly, the publication of this information is not an advocation for these new substances; you should always be careful with any supplement or drug you put into your body as reckless actions can have irrevocable results. As with all such things, a lot of common sense and informed advice is recommended. But–it’s happening now, it’s growing in popularity, and you should be informed. Here’s your starting point.
A nootropic ClickPak
Best Brain Supplements (Source:medicaldaily.com)
I Tried Brain Boosting Drugs (Source: fusion.net)
Using Nootropics to Climb The Corporate Ladder (Source: observer.com)
The Limitless Drug Is Coming (soon) (Source: New York Magazine)
Getting Bulletproof with Buttered Coffee (Source: Bloomberg.com)
Smart Drug Overview (Source: Smartdrugsmarts.com)
Will Smart Drugs Save Us or Ruin Us (Source: Vice)
The Future of Biohacking (Source: Curiousmatic.com)
Are Smart Drugs Running Silicon Valley (Source: Luggageonline.com)
Getting Smart (Source: The Atlantic)
The Fine Print: Cosmos photo (above) copyright (C) 2012 by Dave Halliday. Used under a Creative Commons license. Thank you for sharing Dave. Great photo and your willingness to share says many favorable things about you.