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Comment by zinssmeister | Hacker News Reader

I think humans when exposed to new technology tend to do stupid things for a while until they get smarter and figure out what to actually do. The early decades of the 20th century brought many new and powerful abilities, mostly fueled by the combo of war and technological advancements. It wasn't clear to leaders then that giving soldiers meth or even taking it yourself wasn't such a smart move.

Humans are much smarter today (about substance abuse) and we are slowly walking down the list eliminating over-use of less damaging substances like sugar, caffeine. Products like coca cola are facing a huge consumption gap in certain, very developed areas.

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I'm with you on the sugar, but caffeine? From the (very thorough) Wikipedia page, it appears that there are as many good side effects of caffeine (such as lower risk of certain cancers, Alzheimers and diabetes) as there are bad ones.

I think caffeine is great in the right dosage and setting (recreational). I don't advise using it at work if you are after high productivity http://www.trinity.edu/jdunn/spiderdrugs.htm

Really? A spiders reaction to caffeine is your reason? I just quit caffeine. I'm ready for some conformation bias to justify my decision, but this is pretty weak.

I agree the spider-caffeine-thing is "weak". But it's a popular argument and I don't have anything more substantial at hand. Most people I know, that still drink coffee/caffeine do tell tales of feeling "wired" and "scattered" after consumption.

L-Theanine (amino acid found in green tea) supplements solve that problem.

Got any good sources to read more about that?

Not a great source but it's in these and works for me: https://nootrobox.com/go-cubes

No jitters but if I take all 4 at once I get a pretty unpleasant "coming up" feeling for about 15 minutes. I usually just have 2 a day, and I'd recommend people start with 1 just in the morning.

Really!? Nice web. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://...

That will depend on person and dosage thought.

From persona experience i either have to go a few days without or drink my third cup (drip brewed) of the day to get anything noticeable.

It's a fascinating study, but the problem with extrapolating to humans is that spider brains are closer to a more basic stimulant-response behavior than we are.

On the other hand, spiders DO build web 'sites' and await food delivery...

Some may find the accompanying video to be more convincing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2HipedgM3I

Never mind that the reason plants produce caffeine is that it is useful as a pesticide.

Likewise, I hope you avoid onions and chocolate as both are toxic to dogs.

Are the benefits attributable to caffeine? I think they've all been linked to coffee specifically, and there may be other agents in coffee other than the caffeine that are responsible.

Yup, the same health benefits appear to be in decaf.

decaf means "much less caffeine". not "no caffeine". so the effects might just need a trace amount.

> I'm with you on the sugar

there are many good side of sugar as well, as there are bad ones. let's stop being religious with food. it's a question of education, and measure. The same could be said with fats, caffeine and so on.

>Humans are much smarter today (about substance abuse)

What about the rise of prescription drug use, supplements, and synthetic designer drugs?

> substances like sugar, caffeine. Products like coca cola are facing a huge consumption gap in certain, very developed areas.

What are the safe alternatives to those, if you crave the taste?

Contrary to popular belief, there's no evidence to suggest that artificial sweeteners are bad for you ("cause cancer" or otherwise).

I personally never drink soda anymore except for diet ginger ale. The acidity is still there but in my opinion it's worth satisfying that type of sweet carbonation craving. No sugar and no caffeine, also moves your taste away from the sickly sweetness of standard colas.

An even more mild option is sparkling water, which to me is sometimes the most refreshing thing on earth and sometimes so bland that I can't stomach it.

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