Meet the future: Brain enhancement

Ben's story:
I'm a high school student who took several smart drugs on the morning of my SAT and aced the Critical Reading section. Could I have done it without them? Maybe, but why bother? I don’t use amphetamines, being skeptical about their side-effect and addiction profiles, but the only reason I don't constantly use enormous amounts of clarifying supplements on a daily basis is the cost. I can only imagine that professionals are using the best and most expensive available. Not only have the substances aided me on tests and cleared up many a case of writer's block, they have made me more sociable and better at networking. Meet the future - safe, powerful, cognitive enhancement for the daily cost of a cup of coffee.

As Benedict Carey writes in the NY Times of March 9:
The public backlash against brain enhancement, if it comes, may hit home only after the practice becomes mainstream. Dr. Anjan Chatterjee suggested, "You can imagine a scenario in the future, when you're applying for a job and the employer says, 'Sure, you've got the talent for this, but we require you to take Adderall.' Now, maybe you do start to care about the ethical implications."

Advice: Go ask your mother.

Browse for related stories in the index at the very bottom of this page, or read an Adderall story.

Thanks to the source comment on the news blog web site of the Chronicle of Higher Education.