MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019BreakthroughsTo Be Happy, Forget About Being Happy
New research from Rutgers and the University of Toronto Scarborough says the pursuit of
happiness can actually make you unhappy. Four experiments found a correlation between
the goal of pursuing happiness and feeling time-crunched, which can undermine well-
being. The key to this dilemma, researchers suggest, is shifting focus from chasing what
you think will make you happy to appreciating what is already giving you joy. Try keeping a
notebook where you write down good stuff about your life and see if your mood lifts.TOP MENTAL-WELLNESS APPS
PERCENT HIGHER LEVEL
OF JOB SATISFACTION
AMONG NORTH
AMERICAN WORKERS
WHO REPORT TAKING
A DAILY LUNCH BREAK
(COMPARED WITH
THOSE WHO DON’T)Address Your Stress
To avoid dementia later, control stress now. That’s
the takeaway from a four-study review of nearly
30 000 people. Researchers found a link between
those experiencing midlife anxiety and those who
developed dementia within ten years. Anxiety
may hasten the ageing of brain cells, raising
vulnerability to cognitive decline.Top 3 mental-health apps, based on popularity and user voting
- Analysis by Yellowbrick, a psychiatric treatment centre
Calm Moodnotes Headspacea boring f lyer saw no benefits. Similarly,
research led by psychologist Karen Cropsey
found subjects who were told they were taking
the brain-boosting drug Adderall did better on
tests whether or not they actually took the drug.
The biohacking movement is tryingto overcome its “N=1” problem (in which
a sample size includes only the person
doing the experimenting) by sharing
experiences online or via meet-ups. But
a biohacking group, like any community
organised around a common interest, can
easily become an echo chamber. Dr James
Alcock, a professor of social psychology
and author of the book Belief: What It
Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions
Are So Compelling, says biohackers may
unwittingly be painting one another an
unreasonably rosy picture of how well
nootropics work – even when they don’t.
Unregulated dangers
The Neurohacker Collective is a group of
scientists, academics and creatives who –
among other things – sell nootropics. One
of its premier products is Qualia Original
Stack (OS), which has 41 ingredients.
The large print says it improves focus,
mood, and energy within 30 minutes
and “supports long-term brain health”. A
22-dose supply costs R1 800. Such stacks
operate on the idea that synergies between
ingredients yield additional benefits.
Except that the reverse could just as easilybe true, says Urban. Even if the individual
ingredients have been tested for safety and
effectiveness, it’s rare that the mixture has
been scientifically evaluated to see if the parts
interact harmfully or cancel one another out.
Qualia claims that its product stemsfrom a new approach to science based on
“principled meta-analysis and synthesis of
existing research” to optimise “memory,
focus, the speed of information processing,
and pattern analysis”. The bottom line,
however, is in its online medical disclaimer,
which says: “These statements have not
been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration ... No claims are made
about the safety of this product, nor are any
medical or psychological benefits claimed.”
Dr Daniel Stickler ,the medical directorof the Neurohacker Collective, says that full-
scale clinical trials are prohibitively expensive
for most nootropics companies, adding that
there’s no incentive for these companies to
conduct trials to determine if their products
actually do anything, so few of them do. In
fact, he says he isn’t aware of any studies
on nootropics that meet the research gold
standard: double-blind, placebo-controlled,
comparing meaningful numbers of healthy
adults (not laboratory mice or rats) in terms of
relevant measures of cognitive enhancement.
Of course, the FDA has the power to pull
adulterated or dangerous supplements from
the US market (and many other countries,
including SA, follow their lead). In 2013,
for instance, it recalled the stimulant
1,3-Dimethylamylamine, a.k.a. DMA A. But
that may not mean the product is dead and
gone. Cohen and his colleagues were able to
purchase supplements containing banned
ingredients six months after
their recall.
Not surprisingly, the
experts are unanimous in
saying that there’s no magic
pill you can swallow that
will boost your brainpower.
It’s not available now, and it
probably never will be.a good-quality trial can cost several hundred
thousand dollars. After informally testing
various formulas of Qualia OS on themselves
and friends, Collective founders did an
unblinded pilot study with nine volunteers,
that Stickler says showed significant benefits
in cognitive function and stress response
in eight of the subjects. Still, he admits this
isn’t airtight scientific proof that the product
works. He says the Collective is hoping to
do a placebo-controlled study, but in the
meantime, he’s confident the stack works
because of the results he’s seen in patients.
When asked if there’s a discrepancy
between Qualia’s claims and that disclaimer,
Stickler points out that products such as
OS aren’t promising to treat or cure any
diseases. That’s the line these companies
can’t cross. They can claim
their product makes you
smarter or more focused
without data from clinical
trials, but they can’t claim
their pill treats traumatic
brain injury, ADHD, or
Alzheimer’s.
According to Cohen,SAVE THIS NUMBER086 155 5777
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