That's so true about the other factors that sap productivity - it's a rare moment when our brains are the limiting factor, rather than the thousands of distract

That's so true about the other factors that sap productivity - it's a rare moment when our brains are the limiting factor, rather than the thousands of distractions tugging us from every direction. It's also true, though, that there are things that help us deal somewhat with the distractions - both directly (various ADHD medications, stimulants) and indirectly (getting great sleep, exercise, happy home lives, etc). And, of course, anything that would actually help us during those brief blessed stretches of uninterrupted work would be wonderful as well. > If a substance actually does anything real, and > there is potential for a pharmaceutical company > to patent and profit from it, Well, maybe not? There's two things there - efficacy and potential profitability. There's a whole wealth of substances, from vitamin supplements to aspirin to melatonin, that are quite effective but not overly profitable... at least not on the scale of a blockbuster, patented drug. I don't think there are any magic cures for cancer that fall into the category of "effective, but not profitable" but I do think there's hope that there are substances that might boost brain function by... let's say 5% or 10%, or some other modest but useful amount.