3 ms·

Caffeine's "stimulation" is somewhat of an illusion, it only makes you feel stimulated if you're dependent and it only gets you to where you'd be if you didn't

Caffeine's "stimulation" is somewhat of an illusion, it only makes you feel stimulated if you're dependent and it only gets you to where you'd be if you didn't use at all. https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/08/21/caffeine-the-silent-killer-of-emotional-intelligence/?sh=7455c11c118c https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2012/08/21/caff... Another important issue is that it will only stave off sleep with sugar.

hinkley 3y ago
Only for neurotypical people. For other populations the effect is real, I don’t know about clinical diagnostic tests but layman identifications commonly use “self-medicating with stimulants” as a red flag for suggesting someone seek a professional opinion. So “can improve concentration”? Yes. Clinically proven. “Can improve [anyone’s] concentration”? Well you’re right that’s not true. But that’s relatively recent settled science, in part because there are plenty of anecdotes going back to Coca Cola being the “Thinking man’s drink” with coca leaves in it. Cocaine makes some people more focused. As does amphetamine, and methylphenidate. But we’ve fucked the words “can” and “may” in legal terms. There is no accident that RFCs use MUST and WILL for mandatory behaviors, or that they’re in all caps.
thomastjeffery 3y ago
That is assuming you would have a healthy baseline. Many people, for example those with undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, do not. Drugs are complicated.
- Filligree 3y ago
  Just for the record, terming ADHD 'unhealthy' is a bit dubious. It's maladaptive in modern society, for sure, but that's a combination of the trait and modern society. Not necessarily a reflection on the trait in itself.
  - thomastjeffery 3y ago
    ADHD is a disorder. Living with untreated ADHD doesn't just make society hard. It makes doing what I want to do hard, too. Even in the perfect utopia, I would need medication to be healthy and enjoy life.

hinkley 3y ago

Only for neurotypical people. For other populations the effect is real, I don’t know about clinical diagnostic tests but layman identifications commonly use “self-medicating with stimulants” as a red flag for suggesting someone seek a professional opinion. So “can improve concentration”? Yes. Clinically proven. “Can improve [anyone’s] concentration”? Well you’re right that’s not true. But that’s relatively recent settled science, in part because there are plenty of anecdotes going back to Coca Cola being the “Thinking man’s drink” with coca leaves in it. Cocaine makes some people more focused. As does amphetamine, and methylphenidate. But we’ve fucked the words “can” and “may” in legal terms. There is no accident that RFCs use MUST and WILL for mandatory behaviors, or that they’re in all caps.

thomastjeffery 3y ago

That is assuming you would have a healthy baseline. Many people, for example those with undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, do not. Drugs are complicated.

Filligree 3y ago
Just for the record, terming ADHD 'unhealthy' is a bit dubious. It's maladaptive in modern society, for sure, but that's a combination of the trait and modern society. Not necessarily a reflection on the trait in itself.
- thomastjeffery 3y ago
  ADHD is a disorder. Living with untreated ADHD doesn't just make society hard. It makes doing what I want to do hard, too. Even in the perfect utopia, I would need medication to be healthy and enjoy life.