Journal article
Neuroenhancement: Do “smart pills” have limits?
PsycCritiques, v 56(31)
03 Aug 2011
Abstract
Reviews the film, Limitless directed by Neil Burger (2011). The reviewer begins the current review by asking, what if there were a "smart pill" that could make you excel at everything? Limitless examines the power of the mind and how one struggling writer, Eddie Morra, played by Bradley Cooper, deals with his newfound supermental powers. The film begins by reasserting the popular myth that we use only a small portion of our brain’s potential (Beyerstein, 1999) and proceeds to show both the upside and downside of neuroenhancement. The inciting incident of the movie occurs when Eddie, a down-and-out writer, first takes the smart pill, NZT, given to him by his shady former brother-in-law. Eddie is now able to effortlessly write his novel. The reviewer comments that Limitless is timely in that it echoes the current interest in neuroenhancement. It has been estimated that more that 100 drugs may be under consideration as cognitive enhancers (Soyka, 2009). In addition, cognitive enhancement can also occur through the use of noninvasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The reviewer notes that although the film’s depiction of addiction may be played up in the name of dramatic tension, prescription drugs and brain stimulation used to enhance cognition for healthy people are not without risk. She concludes by asking if neuroenhancement can affect not only cognition but also mood and social and moral reasoning, do we then move into the brave new world of altering or creating entirely new selves? She further notes that currently there is no one drug that is Limitless. Even in this film, the pill’s effect is largely on learning and cognition. But Limitless opens the door to bigger questions: How far can neuroenhancement take us beyond our current limits, and do we want to go there? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
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Details
- Title
- Neuroenhancement: Do “smart pills” have limits?
- Creators
- Mary V Spiers
- Publication Details
- PsycCritiques, v 56(31)
- Publisher
- American Psychological Association
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology)
- Other Identifier
- 991021879779704721