Posts tagged with cognitive.
How smart are “smart drugs” on campus?
There's a lull in activity around here now that midterms and papers are done. People I had presumed dead or missing are emerging into daylight, having previously vanished under piles of books. There is a sort of peace in their eyes, as though they've been through a great struggle and grown wiser for it. I myself have felt the calm that comes with turning in the last assignment due, have seen the clouds break and the sun shine through. (Metaphorically. It's still rainy as hell outside. No matter what you hear about winter in Vancouver, I promise it's not an exaggeration.)
It's amazing the lengths people will go to in order to ensure academic success. I'm not talking about cheating - not in the crib-notes-on-your-ankle sort of way, at least. (It's questionable, in fact, whether you could really call it cheating.) It's a relatively new method, one that seems to be becoming more popular with students: Nootropics.
You probably already use them. Caffeine is a popular nootropic. So is nicotine. If you eat fish because you've heard it's good "brain food," then you also qualify. A nootropic is any substance that is used to enhance cognitive performance. Some of them, like anti-depressants or anti-ADHD drugs (i.e. Ritalin), are prescribed in order to help people with medical or psychological conditions function "normally." Plenty of others are stretched beyond their intended use, though. Since the beginning of civilization, people have been using drugs for fun. Now they're using them for work.
The most popular "smart drug" on campus seems to be Adderall. Like Ritalin, Adderall is normally prescribed to individuals diagnosed with ADHD. According to this study, approximately 7% of college students in the USA reported using prescription stimulants within a month prior to completing the survey. At some schools - the ones with high levels of academic competition - the rate was as high as 25%.
Adderall is essentially a combination of two types of amphetamines. There's a risk of stroke or heart failure, especially in people with pre-existing conditions.
But what does it mean in a larger context that people my age find the prospect of academic or professional success so alluring that they need to alter their brain chemistry in order to achieve it? Is the next generation to enter the work force going to consist of pharmacologically enhanced automatons bent on earthly gains? Or is this the next step in transhumanism - the movement beyond the boundaries set by evolution towards something greater?
On the one hand, there's a moral quandary involved. If a large number of students begin using heavy-duty nootropics to improve their output at school, doesn't it follow that other students will be pressured to do the same? How long before this practice stops being a means to gain a competitive edge, and becomes necessary to compete? People in the armed forces are legally required to use performance enhancers as part of their job. Imagine a day when there's a disclaimer on university application forms noting that students may be required to do the same.
It's also sad to see people so young - not quite adults yet, still developing - throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the rat race. You'd think by now we would have learned something from past generations, enough to understand that there is more to leading a fulfilling life than a fat bank balance and an impressive resume. I can understand young people devoting time and money to substances that, despite their potential for long-term detrimental effects, can be used to perceive reality differently, or to bond with other humans. Students are known for breaking social norms and experimenting with substances. But taking drugs so you can become more of a square - isn't that counterintuitive?
On the other hand, we're always ingesting things to help us improve our performance. Headache slowing you down? Take Advil. Need to break the ice at a business meeting with clients? Order a round on the company card. The long lines at Starbucks in the morning are a testament to what an important role caffeine plays in keeping the workforce mobilized. So are the groups of employees huddled outside in the cold during their lunch breaks, sneaking one of those cigarettes they just can't make it through the day without. Like it or not, the use of drugs to improve productivity is ingrained in our culture. In fact, it's worked its way into most cultures around the world. Even Tibetan Buddhist monks - those models of purity and detachment from the material world - drink endless cups of tea and yak butter to keep themselves focused during late-night mantra sessions.
Sure, the drive for mental acuity can be taken too far. Someone I know used to mix cocaine into wine and sip it while they wrote term papers. (Thankfully, they kicked the habit not long after they realized what it had become - a habit.) I've met a few individuals who attribute their nicotine addictions to chain-smoking during late-night cram sessions. And on a more absurd note, a friend of mine likes to snort rails of crushed-up caffeine pills while studying for exams. People can do silly things while trying to improve themselves, but they can do silly things while trying to have fun as well. Should these extremities be the defining factors when it comes to deciding whether or not cognitive enhancement is beneficial?
It's not a clean cut matter. There are a wide variety of factors to consider, more than I can discuss here. And as information becomes a more valuable commodity, it's not likely the use of smart drugs will become any less prevalent. Being around so many young people driven to succeed has changed the way I see the matter, and raised issues that had never crossed my mind before. Our generation isn't content to tune in and drop out any more, and it will be a long time before we see the full effects of this mentality. For now, though, I'm content to stick with black coffee and the occasional cigarillo to keep my fires burning. There's only so much my brain can do, after all. Why not keep it running at a comfortable level? It seems like the smart thing to do.
Tagged with
drugs,
nootropics,
cognitive,
enhancement
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