The hottest Cognitive Performance Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Health & Wellness Topics
Range Widely β€’ 2771 implied HN points β€’ 05 Dec 23
  1. Individual differences in brain chemistry can influence how people respond to stressful situations and medications.
  2. Using 'smart drugs' like Ritalin and Adderall may make people try harder but perform worse on certain tasks.
  3. It's important to understand your own ideal level of arousal for peak performance and adjust your work environment accordingly.
Neuro Athletics β€’ 22 implied HN points β€’ 23 Feb 26
  1. Brain aging isn’t just about passive β€œgunk” building up; it’s framed as a metabolic crisis where that buildup is robbing neurons of things they need.
  2. A Harvard study reportedly found that lithium is being hijacked inside the brain, leaving neurons starved of this essential mineral.
  3. A specific over-the-counter form, lithium orotate, can supposedly bypass the trap and reach brain cells, and human clinical trials are cited suggesting lithium can slow or sometimes halt cognitive decline.
Klement on Investing β€’ 2 implied HN points β€’ 05 Dec 25
  1. Breaks framed as happening between tasks reduce stress and stop you from ruminating, so you can mentally switch off.
  2. That benefit appears whether the break is expected or surprising and even if the task is just mentally split, meaning how you frame the break matters more than its exact timing.
  3. Break big tasks into smaller chunks and take a break after each chunk to get a sense of accomplishment and improve performance when you return.
Digital Epidemiology β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 02 Jun 23
  1. The study focused on personalized nutrition with a digital cohort of 1,000+ participants tracking various data for glucose level management.
  2. Developing a digital cohort requires intricate digital infrastructure and investment in user-friendly applications for high retention rates.
  3. Data quality assessment is crucial for multi-modal data collection, and the study achieved high completion rates with a focus on improving nutrition tracking.
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FutureIQ β€’ 1 implied HN point β€’ 16 Nov 23
  1. Pollution can reduce cognitive abilities, affecting performance in various activities like chess or investing.
  2. Research shows that exposure to pollution can lead to long-term health issues like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
  3. Taking measures like moving away from pollution, using air purifiers, and indoor plants can help reduce the negative impacts of pollution on health and cognitive abilities.