I'm sure you are all familiar with the movie or maybe TV series "Limitless." If not, here is a little synopsis for you...
Limitless is about a struggling artist who takes a pill that is supposed utilize the parts of your brain that are unused to make you more intelligent. He does this in the attempt to end his writer’s block and finish his book. However, even though the drug ends up accessing more of his brain power than ever fathomable, detrimental effects begin to take place.
Now imagine that you had to make this decision, would you take the pill? Just once or maybe twice? Just to finish your paper in time? Just to ace your exam? This type of drug would serve as a miracle in the world of college students where every day our intellectual capacity is tested. Wouldn't it just be easier to take a pill and all our academic concerns would be taken care of?
Despite the repercussions, it might be worth it for some of us. I know most of you are thinking that the answers to these questions are irrelevant, since a pill like this doesn't actually exist. Well, in fact, it does.
A new drug referred to as the “limitless” pill has just hit the market. However, it is not for college students, at least not yet. It is being used as a brain repair drug for people suffering from Alzheimer’s or brain trauma. The drug has the power to transform inactive cells in our brain into functioning neurons essentially utilizing more brain power. This drug could revolutionize learning and education as we know it. But it is still unclear as to what side effects could occur and it is currently being tested through human trials to assure its safety. Aside from this “limitless” drug that is just now becoming a possibility, many students have been taking other supplements to enhance their focus during exam season.
But now that this new drug allegedly has the capacity to turn nonfunctional brain cells into functional, creating an insane capacity for knowledge, the opportunities are endless. If one pill has the ability to make us more intelligent, then what will this mean for education as whole and how will this make a change in student’s study habits?
I believe that there are repercussions to messing with the way our brain functions. We are meant to utilize a certain amount of our brain and only retain a certain amount of information. Do you ever feel, after a long day of cramming, your brain has gone into overload? In the future, as the pill continues to develop, this might be the way your brain will feel all the time loaded with information and constantly searching for more to satisfy the extra brain capacity.
I think that students should study naturally by practicing time management and giving themselves breaks to recuperate. Studying should be more about learning than cramming especially in college. This is the time we should be learning things that interest us and gaining knowledge that is suitable for the careers we hope to pursue. Overall, despite how cool this pill might sound I suggest steering clear and using the brain power you already have.
