Superhuman News 🤖 - Flow Boost Cocktail

Hey there,

Would you like to fine-tune your mood? Would you choose to always be happy and cheerful? Or maybe extra sad when your best friend tells you that his girlfriend broke up with him? And on the football field: an extra boost of aggression to scare the opponent?

More about that later.

I’m going to do something new in this newsletter. Every month, I’ll write a future scenario to amaze, inspire, frighten, and make you think about the increasing role of technology in our lives.

In this month’s scenario, I explore fine-tuning your mood and thoughts with pills.

Enjoy reading!

Peter

PS. Let me know what you think of this new format and/or the scenario! It is my ambition to become better in making future scenarios, also for clients, so every bit of feedback is greatly appreciated!

The sliding door is half open. The faded blue robe sits loosely over his sinewy shoulders.

Carefully, Mike looks at the oval lawn. Has the hedgehog been here last night? There’s something fragile about it, he thinks. Such a small animal with dangerous spines, but also cute and a bit naive. It reminds him of his ex. Carlos had the same. Outwardly sharp and tough, but also clumsy and with a small heart.

Memories arise. First there are only some snatches. A sweaty disco in Barcelona. Sambuca. An aroused feeling in his gut.

His mood changes. He asks Alexa to start the playlist with instrumental jazz. That was Carlos’s favorite music. Mike closes his eyes. His head moves with the rhythm of the saxophone.

It grinds in Mike’s head. It is always the same. The first thoughts are nice, but then he inevitably wanders off. That evening with the theatrical performance of Glengarry Glen Ross. The discussion afterwards about the resemblance to the film. Carlos thought Alec Baldwin was a better Blake than the actor on stage. “A puny little man,” he sneered. “Not a real salesman. That little guy didn’t radiate anything!”

It’s a downward spiral. Mike thinks about what happened next in their apartment at 1 a.m. Glasses shattered on the floor. Screaming. Upstairs neighbors stomping on the floor.

The last time he saw Carlos.

He is frustrated about his thoughts. Why does this scenario always unfold in the same way? Why can’t he stick with the blissful moments? It’s as if all the neural pathways with a touch of Carlos lead directly to that particular night.

It is enough.

Mike walks to the dispenser on the kitchen table. “Three doses of Flow.” Three green pills fall onto a white enamel saucer. He hesitates. “And two doses of Boost.”

A subtle blue light surrounds the dispenser, a short buzz and then a soft female voice: “Warning: the combination of Flow and Boost is not optimal for your current functioning, based on your DNA, analysis of your feces and sleep quality.”

Mike ignores her: “Do it anyway. Get rid of the negativity.”

The theme of this short story are pharmaceuticals as a means to improve yourself cognitively.

Want to learn more? Read my article or watch my video about human enhancement pharmaceuticals

You may know them as nootropics or smart drugs. For this story, I enjoyed diving into this, but not necessarily for the purpose of getting smarter or having more concentration.

No, are we going to use these kinds of pills to push away unpleasant thoughts? In a sense we already do that, of course. Think of Prozac or other antidepressants. Or with alcohol and other drugs.

It’s a topic I’ve been thinking about more recently: how does technology take away the friction and discomfort in our lives? When I’m not feeling well, it’s wonderful to scroll aimlessly through Instagram or binge a series on Netflix.

This never helps, it is mostly a way to postpone those negative feelings than to remedy them. A good conversation with my girlfriend Susan, a walk in the woods with friends, or a run: these are interventions that are much more helpful.

But will it stay that way? In the story, I explore a future where science has mapped out the composition of neurotransmitters, hormones and brain waves so well that you can block all negative thoughts and feelings with pills.

Is that something you would like?

I give lectures (online and offline) about human augmentation, technology ethics, and health care innovation.

These are upcoming events where I will give a talk or webinar in English. Great to see you there!

Thank you for reading! This newsletter is free, but not cheap to make.

You can help me in a number of ways: forward it to someone who likes it, subscribe to my YouTube-channel, apply for the Masterclass, hire me to speak, for a webinar, or consultancy. 😘