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xamdam comments on Defeating Ugh Fields In Practice - Less Wrong
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I have had success working around 'Ugh' reactions to various activities. I took the direct approach. I (intermittently) use nicotine lozenges as a stimulant while exercising. Apart from boosting physical performance and motivation it also happens to be the most potent substance I am aware of for increasing habit formation in the brain.
Perhaps more important than the, you know, chemical sledge hammer, is the fact that the process of training myself in that way brings up "anti-Ugh" associations. I love optimisation in general and self improvement in particular. I am also fascinated by pharmacology and instinctively 'cheeky'. Having never even considered smoking a cigarette and yet using the disreputable substance 'nicotine' in a way that can be expected to have improvements to my health and well-being is exactly the sort of thing I know my brain loves doing.
Without condoning or condemning I'd like to point out that there seems to be some mental accounting here, which is to say that the possible harm of nicotine is easily justified by confining it to the health bucket - it's outweighed by the health benefits supposedly obtained. Would you be willing to go outside the health bucket and apply the same technique to paying bills (which incidentally is the ultimate Ugh field for most people) or studying? I understand this is a personal choice of sorts, just curious about your thinking.
Good questions.
I'll add that the primary reasons that I happen to have a supply of nicotine patches and lozenges are in the other benefits that it can supply if used carefully (and, in particular, with cycling). The biggest downsides to nicotine can be associated with the usual delivery mechanism. There are other downsides too, which are mostly those that come with stimulants (vasoconstriction, increased blood pressure). These are things that can be managed and balanced. There are positive studies on the effectiveness of nicotine in treating conditions like ADHD, with drastic improvements in focus and motivation. I do not swear by it but it is something I keep in my arsenal.
Bills are not a problem for me. I get them, I click a few buttons on my computer and they are gone. I don't think nicotine (via this delivery mechanism) would be especially effective for bill paying unless you think of a way to form the process into a habit or ritual that nicotine can enhance the learning of. I suppose you could use the direct reinforcement mechanism if you delivered nicotine via gum or via an inhalant form.
Absolutely. And I do use nicotine for studying at times (usually patches that I have cut into the desired dose). Partly for learning mental habits and partly for enhanced focus and motivation without the agitation that comes (with methamphetamine (at least, for me). Again, I don't swear by it but it works.
Is the dosing based on experience or did you invest into some basic pharmacology studies? Also, what's your criteria for patch vs. lozenge?
Basic pharmacology studies, case studies from like minded individuals and personal experience. (If the dose is too great cut it into smaller pieces next time.)
Do you want to do something specific that lasts 3-5 hours or do you want stable benefits to motivation and focus over a day? You can approximately consider total dose to be a limited resource, based on cycling to prevent dependency and reduced effects.