They missed an opportunity to compare microdosing psychedelics like LSD with the amphetamine class stimulants. Many users report that psychedelics do have inter

They missed an opportunity to compare microdosing psychedelics like LSD with the amphetamine class stimulants. Many users report that psychedelics do have interesting cognitive effects related to enhanced creativity and making long-range connections between disparate subjects, though I'm not sure it would help with knapsack optimization. As others note, the ADHD-type drugs just let you work longer without needing sleep, although the bill must eventually be paid with interest, which is why people who take a lot of stimulants tend to go through boom-bust cycles over time. Such drugs also have a kind of jangly nervous side effect which inhibits the creation of complex mental architectures of the kind that mathematicians rely on, so I'm not surprised by the study's results. They're more suited to rote learning (unfortunately common in today's academia) and repetitive tasks (factory work etc.).