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by rchaud 1917 days ago
I wonder if this will be the new frontier of bio-hacking: attempting to replicate the symptoms of mania to get a "performance advantage".
2 comments

This is one reason some people use some kinds of drugs (particularly uppers of various sorts). They create a temporary manic or hypomanic state, even if that's not the term the users would choose to describe the produced state. Of course, it doesn't always lead to positive or even neutral outcomes especially as many are habit forming and the user can develop a tolerance to it (necessitating more of the drug in order to achieve a comparable effect as before, which exacerbates issues stemming from the side effects and high-dose/long-term use).

Look at college students and knowledge workers using various ADD/ADHD medications, as an example.

Is mania a desired state though? It's very chaotic and we already have adderall. I would guess it was more of a facsimile of happiness than a productivity hack. I'm partying all day, my mood is chemically elevated so surely this is what happiness is right?
That's why it's called 'bio-hacking'. Implicit in the name is the assumption that you can have the benefits of something without the natural drawbacks.