“Eu quero ser um humano otimizado”: circulação social de substâncias para aprimoramento cognitivo

Abstract

The use of substances with a view to what has been called Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement has emerged on the international and national scene, based on the dissemination and social circulation of medicines, food supplements and other compounds without a defined regulatory category, recommended for this purpose, in digital media. This research, carried out as part of a doctorate in Public Health, sought to understand the motivations, improvement practices and perceptions of users of substances known as nootropics and smart drugs, including medicines, food supplements and other compounds with no defined regulatory category, especially in WhatsApp and Facebook groups dedicated to the subject. The study takes a socio-anthropological approach and uses digital ethnography to analyze online interactions and discussions. The research methodology involved participant observation in WhatsApp groups, where conversations about the experiences of using substances for cognitive enhancement were collected and analyzed among its participants, generally young people (20 to 40 years old) and involved in school, occupational or sporting activities. The results show that members of these groups seek to optimize functions such as memory, concentration and alertness, often combining prescription drugs (such as methylphenidate and modafinil) with food supplements and unregulated substances, in a re-signification of the pharmacological cognitive enhancement that these substances promote. In this sense, it is possible to identify the importance given by these users to neurotransmitters in justifying the effects of these substances on their bodies, as well as the influence of neuroscientific arguments in legitimizing their practices. The use of substances for cognitive enhancement is part of a broader context of the pharmacologization of society, where the search for individual optimization reflects social and economic pressures for performance, in a logic of maximizing human productivity. An optimized human is created, based on new forms of biosociability, reinforcing the capitalist logic underlying biomedical technologies, with their political and socioeconomic impacts. There is a need for more studies on the risks and possible benefits of these practices, as well as the stimulation of public policies that consider the complexity of this phenomenon in contemporary societies.