←back to thread

What I learned gathering nootropic ratings (2022)

(troof.blog)
126 points julianh65 | 3 comments | 02 Jul 25 13:29 UTC | HN request time: 0.214s | source
Show context
Analemma_ ◴[02 Jul 25 15:02 UTC] No.44444612[source]▶
The tl;dr is:

1. Apart from ADHD medications, which are very powerful, most drugs and weird obscure supplements have little effect (there are some intriguing but noisy results about peptides).

2. Exercise— especially weightlifting and HIIT— is also very powerful. There's evidence of a dose-response curve where light exercise is good but intense is better.

Arguably this is pretty unsurprising, from an evolutionary perspective. It would be strange if our brains had "one weird trick" to perform a lot better with no downsides, since if it existed evolution should've found it. But being in good shape confers large benefits.

replies(3): >>44445278 #>>44446451 #>>44448287 #
1. perrygeo ◴[02 Jul 25 17:28 UTC] No.44446451[source]▶
So regular exercise (lifting, HIIT, and light cardio outdoors) is literally that one weird trick. It's hard to identify any downsides but the upsides are tremendous. It's amazing that people will go out ingesting all sorts of questionable substances just to avoid getting in shape.
replies(2): >>44446631 #>>44449448 #
2. bn-l ◴[02 Jul 25 17:42 UTC] No.44446631[source]▶
There is one more set of substances that work extremely well in partnership and are not harmful. The first is huperzine-a.
3. balfirevic ◴[02 Jul 25 22:19 UTC] No.44449448[source]▶
> It's hard to identify any downsides but the upsides are tremendous.

I wish! If you're lucky (or not particularly unlucky) that might be true.

I don't feel any mental benefits, nor do I sleep better. Fun kinds of exercise (badminton, football, BJJ) always seem to injure me me over longer time periods (and it takes months, or even years, to heal when you're in your forties). And they are not very forgiving, schedule-wise.

Lifting weights or rowing on a machine is painfully boring, but it does make me feel better physically. It's a great upside, but the downsides are real too.