Comment · Sat, August 30, 2014 · Ceretropic
Seriously. Why do we take nootropics?
Original post in this thread
DocDimethyl · 118 points
Just some healthy skepticism (also aimed at myself)...
1) Why should healthy individuals chronically take drugs designed and tested for a specific subset of mentally disabled people?
2)These are often novel compounds; is it worth it to risk a slew of possibly serious unknown side effects just to gain than a slight and often temporary increase in cognition?
3) Are you absolutely certain that something such as neurogenesis or allosteric ion channel modulation is something you want? What rationale do you base this desire off of? Have there been RCT human studies examining the effect of something such as induced neurogenesis on a healthy individual?
4) Nootropics don't fall under the same production scrutiny as pharmaceuticals; suppose chronic intake of 'x' nootropic has resulted in the accumulation of a toxic impurity or metabolic by product?
6) Are nootropics an indication of some sort of modern mental dysmorphia? Are we really that insecure about or intelligence?
Sorry. Just a few questions I have been thinking of. I still love nootropics but I think its good to be skeptical as well.
Thanks!
What they were answering
Nwildcat · 2 points
If your goal is to learn about nootropics themselves, then sure, I would agree. However I'm addressing your OP, which only mentions learning about the brain and human cognition. There are many more direct ways to do this without taking nootropic substances. This points towards the deeper question posed by DocDimethyl. That being, why is it we wish to experiment with these substances on ourselves?
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
Just because there are other ways to do that, does not preclude the use of nootropics as a valid form of self exploration. It's the same reason one wants to experience LSD or psilocin. You can read all you want, and do animal studies all your want, but until you actually feel how they affect your subjectively, you are still left with curiosity. It's that curiosity that must be satiated.
So yes, there are many ways one can learn about the brain and human cognition. For those of us with a deep seated curiosity for expanding our own subjective experience of this life, personally taking the substances is the only way to fulfill that. Not everyone has that same level of curiosity. Again, I am not explaining why "we" take nootropics. I am explaining why "I" take nootropics.