Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
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Re: Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
#2I want to preface this by saying that I am not a supporter of study drugs, except for caffeine.
I don't find these studies to be convincing. You give people a pill, they don't know what it is. These people don't know what to expect, they've never taken study drugs before. They're solving some random logic puzzle they've never seen before. "Participants had to work out which items to put into a bag."
Compare to how these drugs are used in reality. Someone takes a drug a number of times and performs a mental task that they do frequently. They can get a lot of practice using a drug. Does a new computer make you more productive on day 1, or does it take a while to get used to it, even if you know it'll help in the long run?
The real problems with these drugs are addiction, side effects, and the phenomenon where you have to take higher doses over time to get the same effect. Telling people "don't try study drugs, they don't even work!" backed up by questionable studies reminds me of DARE, telling people that marijuana will kill you.
Maybe one day we will get a drug that enhances mental function, that works effectively and has no real downsides. I think that could be a great boon to society. I don't think it exists yet though, or that we are even really making any progress.
Re: Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
#3I want to preface this by saying that I am not a supporter of study drugs, except for caffeine. I don't find these studies to be convincing. You give people a pill, they don't know what it is. These people don't know what to expect, they've never taken study drugs before. They're solving some random logic puzzle they've never seen before. "Participants had to work out which items to put into a bag." Compare to how th…
You're essentially proposing that people have to learn how to do tasks in a new way when using study drugs.
That's a very far-fetched claim. Do you have any evidence other than personal anecdotes?
It doesn't fit with anything I've ever read or experienced with these drugs.
Re: Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
#4I'd bet a 1000-piece mono-color puzzle that close to 50% of currently written software is done on those drugs.
Re: Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
#5I think this is something well-known among high-achievers at school, but I knew some people at school who would just spend 36 hours straight doing all their assignments and still get bad marks. It was always this way for me: work for a few hours, take a break, (maybe a walk, chat with friends/roommates), make some (healthy) food, then get back to it. Staying up never helps, because you have to sleep anyway, and getting poor sleep just makes you work poorly: you can always get something done in the morning. I guess in the end whats most important is time management, making sure you have time to get exercise, socialize, eat right, and get all your assignments in on time and study enough for exams.
Having a good cohort, I think, is also important. A lot of friends of mine got Summa Cum Laude, honors etc., ended up doing PhD work at top universities. We all had a very similar work ethic and we were constantly bouncing shit off each other and debating and going out and having fun. The idea that good work requires suffering is nonsense: good work is joyful and passionate. Good work is doing something you care about and find deeply compelling. Good work is always, in the end, something you think is good for yourself. I think as long as you remember that you'll be happy and satisfied with whatever you choose to do.
Re: Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
#6I want to preface this by saying that I am not a supporter of study drugs, except for caffeine. I don't find these studies to be convincing. You give people a pill, they don't know what it is. These people don't know what to expect, they've never taken study drugs before. They're solving some random logic puzzle they've never seen before. "Participants had to work out which items to put into a bag." Compare to how th…
It seems like a fairly reasonable study to me. I don't see how the study participants' possible lack of familiarity with the drugs diminishes the value of the data.
From the article: "Star performers during the placebo session fell to the bottom of the pack when they had taken the drugs."
That directly refutes your assertion they were doing a novel task for the first time.
Re: Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
#7I'd bet a 1000-piece mono-color puzzle that close to 50% of currently written software is done on those drugs.
50%? from experience its closer to 80%
Re: Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
#8Re: Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
#9I want to preface this by saying that I am not a supporter of study drugs, except for caffeine. I don't find these studies to be convincing. You give people a pill, they don't know what it is. These people don't know what to expect, they've never taken study drugs before. They're solving some random logic puzzle they've never seen before. "Participants had to work out which items to put into a bag." Compare to how th…
You're essentially proposing that people have to learn how to do tasks in a new way when using study drugs. That's a very far-fetched claim. Do you have any evidence other than personal anecdotes? It doesn't fit with anything I've ever read or experienced with these drugs.
Sure. Tolerance builds up over extended use, so that’s one avenue. Another is knowing what causes bodily sensations. High caffeine for example can easily to nervousness if participants don’t know they got caffeine. Drugs like Ritalin can cause euphoria the first couple of times you use it. Ever drank alcohol? You have to learn to deal with that, the first time you’re drunk you are very different from the second time. And then we have the fact that they took random new puzzles; you study stuff you’ve already gone over in class, and study in a way you like.
Please don’t buy into any psychological research; there is a reason more than 2/3rd of all their research cannot even be replicated.
Re: Study drugs make people worse at problem solving, not better
#10I want to preface this by saying that I am not a supporter of study drugs, except for caffeine. I don't find these studies to be convincing. You give people a pill, they don't know what it is. These people don't know what to expect, they've never taken study drugs before. They're solving some random logic puzzle they've never seen before. "Participants had to work out which items to put into a bag." Compare to how th…
Tak Modafinil as an example:
> The real problems with these drugs are addiction,
Not addictive.
> side effects,
Same as caffeine while active. Irritating comedown after.
> and the phenomenon where you have to take higher doses over time to get the same effect.
Abstaining during weekends helps. The real problem is lack of sleep it can somewhat mask.
> Maybe one day we will get a drug that enhances mental function, that works effectively and has no real downsides.
We already have it. It's called having good company and plenty of rest. The problem is not that we don't perform well in this environment, the problem is that we don't perform well IN THIS ENVIRONMENT.
And then we search for hacks.