Microdosing: cognitive decline
Research shows microdosing psychedelics produces no consistent measurable benefit and is associated with a decline in cognitive functioning and executive reasoning.
Where this was said
Bullshit Tier #3: Microdosing Psychedelics (Rank 18)
At 10:38 · chapter starts 10:28
Mark makes no apologies: the research on microdosing is damning. The meta-analyses show no consistent measurable benefit and actually document a decline in cognitive functioning and executive reasoning [1] — Mark Manson "Microdosing: cognitive decline: Research shows microdosing psychedelics produces no consistent measurable benefit and is associated with a …" 10:38 . A randomized controlled trial in ADHD patients found no improvement over placebo. Drew, who was genuinely excited about microdosing's potential back in 2016, admits nothing meaningful materialized. Mark's sharper verdict: the mood improvement people report is just what getting mildly high feels like, which is fine but doesn't warrant the Silicon Valley productivity mythology built around it. Long-term microdosers show adverse physical health effects from chronic low-dose psychoactive exposure — which is what pushes this from 'probably nothing' to 'stop doing it.' The episode's broader placebo theme surfaces here: if you believe it works, it might feel like it works, but compared to a placebo, there's nothing there.
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