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Erdos[0] certainly felt his creativity was helped by caffeine (and amphetamines). From personal experience, math professors seem to be the most reliable academ
by pandigital 7y ago
Erdos[0] certainly felt his creativity was helped by caffeine (and amphetamines). From personal experience, math professors seem to be the most reliable academic users of nicotine and caffeine. I'm skeptical they are all deluding themselves.
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Erd%C5%91s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Erd%C5%91s
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- copperx 7y agoFrom my experience, amphetamines make the crazy ideas you've had all along feel actionable. You then put a lot of work on them and they produce fruits. Then you get off amphetamines and you're amazed at how much you accomplished. I still go back to some projects that I did while on Adderall and am in awe of how much I accomplished in a few months on my own, and how many of my ideas that I had simmered in my head for decades were doable once I sat down and worked on them. However, after months of amphetamines I felt like I was a workhorse with no novel ideas or approaches, but still very efficient. I've heard that mathematicians carry a well-tested mental toolset that enable them to solve all kinds of problems. So, perhaps if you have the right toolset and you just need to put work on an problem, amphetamines can work great.
- porknubbins 7y agoI like how you put that “the crazy ideas you’ve had all along feel actionable”. This is the only way I can write anything- with caffeine all the crazy ideas in my head seem worth expressing.