>I would hazard to suggest that it can make many people much more productive though That suggestion is disproved by the research I linked, particularly when it

>I would hazard to suggest that it can make many people much more productive though That suggestion is disproved by the research I linked, particularly when it comes to mental tasks. >the answer is broadly “yes, for some tasks For mindless tasks, like long-haul driving, where staying awake is pretty much all that's required ? Sure. Anything else, citation needed. >The historical and continued use by various militaries of stimulants seems to suggest that at least many very highly motivated big spenders seem to expect the same to apply to the general population. Military use is more commonly to increase stamina (e.g. for pilots on 48 hour bombing missions), not efficiency. And military scenarios simply don't transfer to civilian life. Staying awake without sleep when you're a bomber pilot is a matter of life and death, so adverse health consequences and even decrease in mental capacity can be tolerated, because being dumb and awake is better than being smart and asleep in that context. ...to an extent. Until you end up shooting some Canadians dead [1]. Which is why the "historical" use by militaries is not continuous. It's been abandoned by militaries that tried it; particularly by the USAF after that incident. As for use by the military in general, note that the average lifespan of a Russian soldier on the front line in the Ukraine war is measured in hours[2]. That's a very different context than anyone talking here is facing. And one where the ability to stay alert matters more than anything else. That doesn't translate to efficient or productive in any normal sense. A solider is waiting most of the time. Then something happens, fast. Any delay in reaction, and you're dead. We can discuss the effectiveness of amphetamines in such scenarios, but that has nothing to do with Huxley's description (or productivity, efficiency, etc). As I said in my top comment: Adderall is for helping people act without delay. This translates well to military use. Sometimes. A delay would've saved those Canadians. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jan/04/afghanistan.richardnortontaylor https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jan/04/afghanistan.ri... [2] https://www.yahoo.com/news/average-life-expectancy-front-line-184101568.html https://www.yahoo.com/news/average-life-expectancy-front-lin...