The indirect psychological costs of cognitive enhancement

Journal article : Comment

One of the main goals of the debate on the “new” cognitive enhancement substances like Ritalin and Adderall is to develop an appropriate policy regarding their regulation. In order to suggest such a policy, Veljko Dubljevic (2013) compares these enhancers to well-known drugs in their relative potential for harm. Implicit in his argument is the assumption that the new cognitive enhancers are not relevantly different in kind from other substances like alcohol or the “old” enhancer caffeine. We argue that, in being perceived negatively by the public, the new cognitive enhancers are psychologicallydifferent from other well-known drugs. Further, this negative social perception might generate indirect psychological costs for users. These costs should be factored in to any risk–benefit analysis informing the regulation of the use of the new cognitive enhancement substances.

Authors: Faulmüller, NS; Maslen, H; Santoni de Sio, F

• Publication status: Published
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Journal: American Journal of Bioethics
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 45-47
• Publication date: 2013-06-14
• DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2013.794880
• EISSN: 1536-0075
• ISSN: 1526-5161
• Language: English
• Subtype: Comment