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'Mind Doping' Becoming More Common

Posted by Zonk on from the gotta-get-my-music-on dept.

runamock writes "The Los Angeles Times is running a story on the growing use of 'mind drugs': 'Forget sports doping. The next frontier is brain doping. ... Despite the potential side effects, academics, classical musicians, corporate executives, students and even professional poker players have embraced the drugs to clarify their minds, improve their concentration or control their emotions. Unlike the anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and blood-oxygen boosters that plague athletic competitions, the brain drugs haven't provoked similar outrage. People who take them say the drugs aren't giving them an unfair advantage but merely allow them to make the most of their hard-earned skills.'" There's an interesting comment on this topic in Fresh Air's top cultural trends of 2007 broadcast.

5 of 371 comments (clear)

  1. I'm on mind-doping chemicals right now... by Progman3K · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    So I'm getting a kick out of all these replies...
    Wait. wrong web-site. //Fark

    --
    I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J
  2. Re:The Cure for Blacks and Hispanics? by aussie_a · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    I realize I'm being trolled (and on Christmas nonetheless! I hope you're Jewish, a Jehovas Witness or live in a country where Christmas has finished), but this is fun.

    The fact of the matter is that people of lower IQ do not fit into western society very well. Blacks and hispanics do poorly in our society but Whites and East Asians succeed very well. Really? So how many East Asians have been presidents or vice presidents in America? Just as many as there have been black and hispanic people in those positions? Then you might find it is not related to the ability to perform agriculture, but is instead related to how a white powerful elite treat people of other races. Black and hispanic people are treated poorly, and as such a lot of them (although I hope its lessening as the government and society works to righting past wrongs) are in the lower classes.

    Oh and as for agriculture being a sign of intelligence: Egyptians (which have a largely "black" makeup with "southwest asian" influences) also mastered it. And yet they are not a superpower today. Funny that, isn't it?
  3. Re:The Cure for Blacks and Hispanics? by aussie_a · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I did use italics, dumbass! Given you are incapable of admitting the reality of this, I would find it laughable to respond to the rest of your post. While its possible what you say is true, its also possible a monkey will create Shakespeare on a typewriter. It doesn't mean I'm going to read everything a monkey says on the off chance they do somehow produce Shakespeare.
  4. Get to the point. by EnsilZah · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Can we please cut the ethical implication posts and have some how-to guides and risk/benefit lists?
    I'm afraid I don't have any experience in the field myself.
    I have been wondering lately whether recreational use of nicotine patches would work.

  5. Re:Flashback! by CodeBuster · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    It is the holidays, most of us aren't hovering over Slashdot like we normally do, but on a somewhat different note,

    Why does Dune and its subsequent novels always get the low-budget treatment whenever they are done for film or miniseries? The sci-fi channel stuff is passable in most cases, the acting is generally good, but the sets and the costumes suffer tremendously. How hard is it to film in an actual desert? Computer generated sand looks TERRIBLE and what is with the multicolor still suits that look nothing like the natural environment? Dune has been done badly so many times now that one wonders if it will EVER get the Steve Jackson treatment ala LOTR...sigh well we can hope I suppose.