The television show Limitless tells the story of a schlubby guy in his mid-thirties who has generally been failing at life. He’s not engaged, his father is sick of a terminal illness, and he’s working a dead-end job, plus he’s constantly getting stoned. That is, until he takes a pill that unlocks 100% of his mind’s power. Now, he’s able to do anything, date anyone, solve any problem.
That power fantasy is delectable. Who doesn’t see ways they could be just a bit better? The entire premise behind self-improvement is that you will become that self. What’s more self-focused than that?
For the unanointed, nootropics appear to be insane. Why would I take the tail of a newt? The beak of a fish, BCAAS, or something else?
Fundamentally, I think the concept of trying to understand your body’s chemistry and mess with it to create an optimized performance makes sense. Some people react well to caffeine for instance, some don’t. Being able to recognize what can help you thrive is great in that it’s an extra 2-4% performance, which over the long term can pay off.
I used to take a lot of supplements, but I find more generally it’s important to eat whole foods, sleep well, and workout hard. If you do the basics, the benefits of nootropics are generally small. But, who doesn’t like to dream?
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