“Suppose you’re preparing for the SAT, or going
for a job interview — in those situations where you
have to perform on that day, these drugs will be very attractive,”
said Dr. Barbara Sahakian of Cambridge, a co-author with
Sharon Morein-Zamir of the recent essay in Nature. “The
desire for cognitive enhancement is very strong, maybe stronger
than for beauty, or athletic ability.”
Jeffrey White, a graduate student in cell biology who has
attended several institutions, said that those numbers sounded
about right. “You can usually tell who’s using
them because they can be angry, testy, hyperfocused, they
don’t want to be bothered,” he said...
One person who posted anonymously on the Chronicle
of Higher Education Web site said that a daily regimen of
three 20-milligram doses of Adderall transformed his career:
“I’m not talking about being able to work longer
hours without sleep (although that helps),” the posting
said. “I’m talking about being able to take on
twice the responsibility, work twice as fast, write more effectively,
manage better, be more attentive, devise better and more creative
strategies.”
