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Is there evidence that drugs can help programmers produce “better” code?

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Re: Is there evidence that drugs can help programmers produce “better” code?

#71

Post by Supreme »

bennyg wrote: post #70
Supreme wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do realise that you're doing something quite dangerous by turning to dopamine-influencing drugs to motivate you, right? This class of drugs can change brain structure, promote cancer growth and generally make you devoid of emotion. At the very least, protect yourself with anti-oxidants and NMDA antagonists. There are plenty of less serious things you can take/do if you simply lack motivation. Exercise, cut out su…

He may be prescribed it. I understand your sentiment, but Ritalin may make him take a shower and actually make the morning commute.

Oh, I'm sure it works. All I'm saying is that there are many ways to achieve a given neurotransmitter balance.

A doctor might give a cancer patient morphine to numb the pain but this has the side effect of encouraging the cancer to spread, among a host of other problems. A smarter doctor would give the patient cannabis to kill the pain and help fight the cancer.

It is important to remember that politics play a central role in the medical establishment which tarnishes a lot of what comes out of it. IMO, it helps to keep an open mind and take the recommendations coming out of it into account at the same time - balance is good.

I'm not just saying this based on anecdotal evidence, it's been documented - http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna...

>A pooled weighted average of 1.97% (N = 7, 95%CI: 0.86–4.45) of scientists admitted to have fabricated, falsified or modified data or results at least once –a serious form of misconduct by any standard– and up to 33.7% admitted other questionable research practices. In surveys asking about the behaviour of colleagues, admission rates were 14.12% (N = 12, 95% CI: 9.91–19.72) for falsification, and up to 72% for other questionable research practices.

That is an alarmingly high rate of bad science. How can anyone in their right mind listen to their doctor without questioning the recommendations they are given? It's irrational to do so based on the evidence.

Re: Is there evidence that drugs can help programmers produce “better” code?

#72

Post by redthrowaway »

Supreme wrote: post #62
redthrowaway wrote: post #14

Define drugs. I know Ritalin is an invaluable tool when it comes time for me to sit down and hack, but can also be counter-productive in limiting my creativity. I think it would be self-evidently false to suggest that no mind-altering substance could lead to a state of consciousness more conducive than the baseline for a given activity, but I would stop short of recommending any particular drug for programming. If it…

You do realise that you're doing something quite dangerous by turning to dopamine-influencing drugs to motivate you, right? This class of drugs can change brain structure, promote cancer growth and generally make you devoid of emotion. At the very least, protect yourself with anti-oxidants and NMDA antagonists. There are plenty of less serious things you can take/do if you simply lack motivation. Exercise, cut out su…

I've been on Ritalin since I was 10. I used to take it daily, now I just take it when I need to concentrate for extended periods of time. Thank you for your concern, though.

Re: Is there evidence that drugs can help programmers produce “better” code?

#73

Post by redthrowaway »

bennyg wrote: post #70
Supreme wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do realise that you're doing something quite dangerous by turning to dopamine-influencing drugs to motivate you, right? This class of drugs can change brain structure, promote cancer growth and generally make you devoid of emotion. At the very least, protect yourself with anti-oxidants and NMDA antagonists. There are plenty of less serious things you can take/do if you simply lack motivation. Exercise, cut out su…

He may be prescribed it. I understand your sentiment, but Ritalin may make him take a shower and actually make the morning commute.

Nothing at all like that. I was prescribed it for ADHD as a child. Now, I take it if I'm cramming or spending all night in the lab. Generally, less than once a week.

Re: Is there evidence that drugs can help programmers produce “better” code?

#74

Post by redthrowaway »

patrickk wrote: post #66
jobu wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In case anyone is unfamiliar with the "Balmer Peak" : http://xkcd.com/323/ For extra points, I would love to see your spreadsheet data plotted as a xkcd-style graph ( http://mathematica.stackexchange.com/questions/11350/xkcd-st... )

Does this actually seriously work? I've never tried coding while intoxicated, let alone heard of the Ballmer peak till now. Wonder what variables you would track? Type of drink, percentage alcohol in it, how long since you last ate, how quickly you drink the alcohol, your height and weight? Should there be a variable for being Irish (high tolerance) ;-) Last one was a joke btw!

A couple of beers will definitely get the juices flowing, just as several more will tend to obviate any prospect of productivity.

Re: Is there evidence that drugs can help programmers produce “better” code?

#75

Post by 001sky »

marcos123 wrote: post #69
001sky wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sobering reminder. Performance = output/time. so the timeframe is critical. its trivial to increase productivity in the "short term". in ways that are unsustainable (or: unhealthy). Exogenous modification of brain's chemistry is, however, rarely healthy, over long-time-horizons. At least given the evidence to date.

Yeah, but when you think about, everything you put in your mouth is an exogenous modification of, at least your body's chemistry, if not your brain's chemistry. We live in a world of gray areas, not black and white.

but when you think about it

There's sense, and common sense. lots of things in nature will kill you if you eat them. lots of things in nature are unhealthy if you eat them in excess, over the long run. phschoactive drugs? are no different, even naturally occurring ones in food-like form. common sense and experience will illustrate that your body is ~self-regulating. if you f@ck with it (too much), it will f*ck with you back. =/

Re: Is there evidence that drugs can help programmers produce “better” code?

#77

Post by davidtanner »

davidtanner wrote: post #24

Insofar as programming involves problem solving I believe the answer is an unqualified "yes". In _The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys_ by James Fadiman, Ph.D a chapter is devoted to discussing the results of a study on the use of the psychedelic substance mescaline to enhance creative problem solving. http://www.amazon.com/Psychedelic-Explorers-Guide-Therapeuti... This study was c…

I just found a short essay by Benny Shanon, http://pluto.huji.ac.il/~bshanon/ , called Ayahuasca and Creativity.

http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v10n3/10318sha.html

Quotes from the above article that I feel are most salient for this discussion of drugs, creativity and problem solving:

"As explained in Shanon (1998b), ayahuasca can also induce very impressive ideations. It is very typical for ayahuasca drinkers to report that the brew makes them think faster and better -- indeed, makes them more intelligent. Several of my informants reported the feeling of potentially being able to know everything; I too had this experience. While, this overall feeling is not objectively provable, my data do reveal some ideations which are truly impressive. Especially let me mention philosophical insights attained by drinkers without prior formal education. Some of these resemble ideas encountered in classical works as those of Plato, Plotinus, Spinoza and Hegel. Significant insights are more likely to be encountered in domains in which drinkers have special competence. Personally, with ayahuasca, I had many insights regarding my professional field of expertise and to which, following further critical scrutiny, I still hold. I have heard the same from other persons."

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