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Electrocuting your brain, compounding chemicals at your kitchen counter, chewing coffee cubes. These are just some of the examples of how desperate we have become as a culture to obtain an edge, whether it be enhancing memory, attention, motivation, creativity or a combination of these. We are obsessed with boosting our brain power and exploiting its untapped potential.
There is a whole culture of folks devoted to developing and marketing gizmos and gadgets galore to very hungry millennials who are increasingly feeling the pressure of maintaining a competitive edge in the workplace.
Enter nootropics – a new brand of artillery that has emerged to enhance cognitive function. They fall under the umbrella of lifestyle drugs. The term “lifestyle drug” is a way of defining a drug that is a choice because it might improve your life, function or appearance, as opposed to a drug you might take because you need to cure something or manage an illness.
A quick Google search for “Nootropics” reveals 744,000 websites that offer supplements, discussion forums, articles on what is clearly a very hot topic. The main purpose of these drugs is to enhance productivity and sharpen focus, and it is all the rage – especially in places like Silicon Valley. The added benefit is that they are not supposed to trigger the jittery sensation that results from consuming excess coffee or taking a prescription stimulant medication, such as Ritalin or Adderall.
Read full, original post: Brain Hacking: Are We Meant to Be Limitless?
