Comment · Sat, April 27, 2013 · Ceretropic
Nootropics that Increase Emotional Response?
Original post in this thread
[deleted] · 21 points
runnerboy's thread piqued my curiosity. Emotion is a large part of being human, and as tempting as it is to be rational as can be, emotion brings many advantages. Being more in touch with one's emotions has the potential to improve sympathy for others, and even empathy in difficult situations. This, in turn, can improve one's social life, and -- being social creatures -- is beneficial for neurological health (in terms of general well-being and mood, which can make all the difference in terms of motivation and productivity). What's the point of being extremely logical/rational if you're friendless? Emotions have the capacity to improve our lives.
Are there any nootropics (or maybe compounds not thought of as nootropics) that improve emotional ability, response, or awareness?
My first guess is perhaps Naltrexone (low-dose). Be it physical or emotional pain, the brain's response is the same. Increased basal endorphin levels could improve capacity for relating to others... maybe? I don't know much about this. (That's why I'm wondering what you guys think!)
What they were answering
spaceman_grooves · 3 points
is it a fair implication that upregulation can help with or cure depression? thats consistent with my experience but ive never seen it explained so simply before
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
If your depression is arising from lack of available 5-HT receptor sites, then yes it will help or cure your depression. However, depression can arise from many different things. If your depression is due to a lower expression of tryptophan hydroxylase, then up-regulation is already naturally occurring. However, your body can't produce the necessary 5-HTP from tryptophan in your diet, so the increased receptor sites are useless. In that instance an SSRI or 5-HTP would be better.