Have you recently heard about nootropics aka smart drugs? Are you wondering, “Why use nootropics?” If so, you're not alone: It's a question we get asked all the time. And it's a question that we're gonna answer in today's post.

Interest in nootropics has been steadily on the rise for the past few years. There's a good reason for that: They work.

Nootropics have been featured on a variety of websites, in the news, and in other forms of media. Not too long ago Nightline did a segment about nootropics that caught a lot of people's attention. In fact, after that episode aired, this website's traffic went up 142%!

And a lot of that new traffic was looking for the answer to one simple (well, kind of) question: “Why use nootropics?” There are two basic reasons to use nootropics. We'll go over those first. Then, we're gonna explore things a little further.

Why Use Nootropics? (Part 1)

There are two main reasons that people use nootropics. If you're unsure of what exactly nootropics are and what they do, you should check out The Nootropics FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).

Really, both reasons come down to one thing: performance enhancement. Let's look at those reasons now.

Reason 1: To Correct An Underlying Chemical Problem

The first reason people have for using nootropics is that they're trying to correct some kind of chemical deficiency that they have. They might not always realize that this is what they're doing – but it is.

Suppose you suffer from severe anxiety. That anxiety may be caused by some type of dysfunction with the way part of your brain uses the neurotransmitter GABA.

Taking a nootropic that affects GABA, like sulbutiamine or aniracetam, may reduce or even eliminate your anxiety by increasing GABA levels or changing the way that it works in certain parts of the brain.

By reducing or eliminating your anxiety, you've removed that barrier to optimal cognitive performance. Without always worrying about things, you've improved overall cognitive function.

If you suffer from severe anxiety, depression, lack of interest in things (anhedonia), inability to focus, or other mental problems, nootropics can be used to improve or even completely fix these problems. Now, I'm not talking about using nootropics to treat diagnosed medical conditions. If you suffer from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), or another serious mental health disorder, see a doctor.

Marketing nootropics as treatments to mental illnesses is against the law. This is somewhat unfortunate, since a lot of people find that certain nootropics work better than prescription medications. But since they're not FDA approved for this use, they cannot be promoted as treatments for any medical condition. But again, a lot of people find that they work better than often-dangerous prescription drugs.

Reason 2: To Optimize A Healthy Brain

This is the reason that most people use nootropics. Nootropics change the way that certain chemicals work in the brain – chemicals that affect thoughts and emotions.

By taking nootropics, you optimize the way certain parts of your brain work. You're essentially taking a healthy brain and making it even better.

This concept is foreign to a lot of people. It's not foreign to professional athletes, though. Nor is it to businessmen, politicians, and the good (ahem) people on Wall Street. They've all been using performance-enhancing drugs for decades.

To compete at the highest levels of sports, finance, politics, medicine, and virtually every other field, you need an advantage. Being great isn't good enough – everyone at the top is great. You need something to improve your performance even further.

Now this interest in performance enhancement has spread into the mainstream. Everyone from factory workers to cooks, mechanics to stay-at-home moms (and dads) are using nootropics to improve cognitive performance. And improved cognitive performance ultimately means improved quality of life.

That's what it all comes down to, really: It's a quality of life issue. That's the ultimate answer to the question, “Why use nootropics?” Because they can improve – sometimes dramatically – the quality of your life.

Now, let's look at the areas of cognitive performance that nootropics can improve. We're gonna answer the question, “Why use nootropics?” in a different way.

Why Use Nootropics? (Part 2)

To Increase Focus

Do you have trouble focusing? Would you like to be able to increase your productivity by staying focused on one task at a time?

If so, you're not alone. Millions of Americans have trouble staying focused. It should come as no surprise that increasing focus is one of the main reasons why people use nootropics.

Increased focus is one of the most common effects seen with nootropic use. Some nootropics increase focus directly by affecting the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine. Others indirectly increase focus by improving mood and reducing anxiety.

To learn more about increasing focus with nootropics, read this: The Best Nootropics For Focus.

To Reduce Anxiety

If you've ever experienced severe anxiety, you know how crippling it can be. Uncontrolled anxiety can mess with your focus, mood, productivity, and overall well-being.

Prescription drugs can be effective at reducing anxiety for some people. Unfortunately, most psychiatric medications come with side effects that are often worse than they symptoms they're meant to treat.

A lot of people have successfully reduced their anxiety with nootropics. If you're always worrying, second guessing yourself, and getting stuck thinking about the same things over and over again, you're not going to be functioning optimally. By reducing or eliminating unhelpful anxiety, you're free to focus on the things that matter most.

To learn more about using nootropics to reduce anxiety, read this: The Best Nootropics For Anxiety.

To Improve Mood

Everyone's been touched with a little depression at one point or another. For some people, however, it can be more severe and much longer lasting.

Like with anxiety, some people find relief from prescription drugs – some. The truth is, antidepressants only work for about 20% of the people that use them, or about one in five. For 80% of depression sufferers, this isn't good news.

Fortunately, some people have found relief from depression by using certain nootropics. Several nootropics are known to improve mood.

To learn more about improving mood with nootropics, read this: The Best Nootropics For Mood.

To Increase Motivation

Motivation is a tricky thing. Some people seem to be overflowing with it and others barely have enough of it to get out of bed every morning.

If you have trouble getting and staying motivated, there's good news: nootropics may help.

There are several nootropics that are known to improve motivation, making it easier to start (and finish) new tasks. Nootropics that affect dopamine and norepinephrine are especially good at increasing motivation, but other neurotransmitters may play a role, too.

To learn more about increasing motivation, read this: The Best Nootropics For Motivation.

To Improve Memory

With so many things to remember in our fast-paced world, who wouldn't want to improve their memory?

Several nootropics are known to make it easier to recall information. In other words, they improve memory.

Between thousands of anecdotal reports and numerous scientific studies, there is a lot of evidence to support the use of certain nootropics for memory enhancement. This is another main reason that people use them.

To learn more about enhancing memory, read this: The Best Nootropics For Memory.

Conclusion

Hopefully, now you understand why people use nootropics and what they could potentially do for you.

It all comes down to improved quality of life. Whether you're looking to increase focus, reduce anxiety, improve mood, increase motivation, or enhance memory, there's a nootropic that can help.