If there were a pill that could increase your focus, improve your memory, alleviate your anxiety and protect your brain from age-related decline, would you take it? On this episode of Remarkably Human Radio, we talk about smart drugs - also known as nootropics or cognitive enhancers - with the host of the leading podcast on the topic, Jesse Lawler of Smart Drug Smarts.   WE CHAT ABOUT What smart drugs are, and what they are not. How smart drugs differ from simple "healthy lifestyle." The "Hierarchy of Cognitive Enhancers." How smart drugs often start their lives as something else in the pharmaceutical world. Why modern medicine is not interested in “enhancement” but only “repair.” Why it’s really hard to do caffeine studies. Why taking smart drugs is a proactive and smart choice, and not "cheating." The granddaddy of all smart drugs - piracetam - and the entire class of "racetams." What is the “cognitive ceiling?” Anecdotal stories from Roderick and Jesse’s own smart supplementation experience. User reports of modafinil and armodafinil use. The difference between “smart drugs” and “nootropics.” Why the best smart drugs have no “psychotropic” component. The chemical that Roderick likes best. The benefits of combining l-theanine and caffeine The role of genetics, lifestyle and epigenetics in response to smart drugs. What are “dumb drugs?” The dangers of antihistamines found in over-the-counter cold, allergy and sleep medications. Why the term “drug” seems so negative. Tolerance and smart drug use.