People want an edge, but everyone wants to take the shortest path. Nooptropics, supplements, etc are perceived path shorteners where perhaps no such one exists. It seems that the power of the mind (i.e. placebo) is the only real thing here. I would like to see how meditation/mindfulness apps and adoption measure against nootropics.

== UPDATE ==

I did not mean to imply that stimulants like caffeine, amphetamines, etc are placebo. I should have made a clear distinction between such classes of nootropics and those that do not contain such ingredients or those that are proven not to have effect. I agree, the coffee I had this morning was not a placebo for increasing my wakefulness.