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by bigzyg33k 2382 days ago
As somebody who has microdosed, I'd attribute most "enhancement" to perceived improvement in mood, and an improvement in my ability to look at problems from "outside" the box.

I'm currently leetcoding in preparation for tech interviews, and find it much easier to work out the "trick" to solve problems while microdosing LSD

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This is a perfect example of nootropic dystopia: paying for a small advantage in a mostly meaningless unproductive task with possibly maladaptive permanent changes to the brain.

Of course this is not new. Ritalin has been used as a study drug for meaningless academic tests for decades.

But it really goes beyond drugs. The experiences created by media and games today, even social app feedback loops, are far more powerful than any real-world experience. Go to bed every night with a show or a game or a social app, and you will lose your edge very quickly. (I’m currently embroiled in a muted partner dispute of several years over this.)

And yet I have considered exactly the same, because the last few years has filled my head with so much crap that I never wanted to think about; perhaps microdosing would allow a more intentional reset, and leetcode may be the closest thing normal folks have to productive mental engagement. Certainly not most jobs, even in tech, which is sad.

I mean, I'm doing cocaine to beat the Advent of Code leaderboard currently.
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