Reprinted with permission © 2008 TreeTop Technologies
We’re not talking about fruit juices here but performance-enhancing drugs. No longer simply the purview of athletes, there are increasing numbers of students and workers looking to pharmaceuticals to boost their performance.
The problem isn’t that such drugs don’t work. After all, anabolic steroids do help athletes outperform non-enhanced competitors. Drugs like Modafinil and Ritalin can enhance short-term memory and speed of thought, which is why some workers are using them to put in longer hours or get through a rough period of work. And drugs are being developed to specifically boost memory and learning.
The problem is that such drugs mess around with chemicals in the brain. This may interfere with the brain’s ability to produce those chemicals naturally or properly in the future. To help combat that, notes an article on the PersonnelToday.com web site, human resources should address issues such as job design and excessive work demands and help employees learn good lifestyle habits that will improve their health and productivity.
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Footnotes: From "View from the TreeTop" Volume 2 Issue 10 October 2008