Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova The Prisoners’ Dilemma of Performance-Enhancing Drugs
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Nov 29, 2025 The discussion dives into the rising prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs beyond sports. Nate and Maria explore the nuances between low-risk microdosing and high-stakes doping, particularly in poker. They analyze the impact of stimulants on focus versus creativity and the complexities of fairness in enhancement. The hosts discuss the prisoner's dilemma in doping, highlighting how rules and enforcement shape the debate. Ultimately, they emphasize the importance of context and health considerations in the conversation around enhancers.
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The Culture Of Constant Optimization
- Modern performance culture pushes people to optimize every moment with drugs and rituals.
- The conversation spans harmless boosts like caffeine to riskier off-label cognitive drugs like modafinil or Adderall.
Stimulants At The Poker Table
- Poker players commonly use stimulants, nicotine, or microdosing to sustain long sessions.
- Nate describes people choosing substances by habit and physiology rather than universal effectiveness.
Focus Can Mislead Creativity
- Cognitive enhancers can create a disconnect between perceived and actual performance.
- Maria warns laser focus may dampen creativity and inflate self-assessment of output.
