Nootropics for Social Anxiety Video

Full Video Transcript

Narrator (00:00):
For most of us, our day-to-day lives involve interacting and socializing with people. Whether you're extroverted or introverted by nature, there's just no avoiding it. Social interaction is a critical human function. I quite like interacting with my colleagues, customers, bosses, and industry contacts, but I do suffer from pretty severe social anxiety and socializing in general puts a massive strain on my energy levels and mood. So to avoid this getting out of hand, the question must be asked, what's the best way to manage social anxiety? This is the question I asked a few months ago when I became extremely grumpy and short fused. When a colleague of mine dropped by innocently for a chat, my response to her fairly innocent and well-meaning interaction was not good at all. So I had to sit down that evening and do some serious self-reflection. Of course, this led to an inevitable deep dive into social anxiety as that's just how I'm wired.

(00:56):
My research took me from trying to understand what social anxiety is and why so many suffer from it, to uncovering what the best solutions to social anxiety actually are. This took me into the field of nootropics, a class of drugs and supplements that can give the brain a boosting effect, which is why they're often called smart drugs. What started as one embarrassing interaction with my friend from work led to me finally uncovering the best nootropics to help me overcome my social anxiety symptoms. And in this video, I'm going to share everything I learned with you. What is social anxiety? I don't want to turn this video into a long scientific explanation of social anxiety. Rather, I want to cover nootropics that will help us all get over our social anxiety issues. However, it's important we define the exact problem we're trying to solve. So here's my simplified explanation of social anxiety.

(01:49):
Social anxiety is that intense nagging fear of being judged, embarrassed, or rejected. In social situations, it's more than just feeling a little shy. It can make things like speaking up in a meeting, introducing yourself at a party or even making eye contact feel overwhelming. Your heart races, your hands get sweaty and your brain starts running a hundred different worst case scenarios. Sound familiar? At its core, social anxiety comes from a fear of negative evaluation. Your brain is on high alert, convinced that people are watching your every move ready to criticize or laugh. But here's the truth, most people are too busy thinking about themselves to judge you. It's a mental trick, but it feels very real. The good news, social anxiety is manageable. You can retrain your brain to feel calmer and more confident in social settings. Nootropics are just one way to take back control of your social life, and we cover several other ways to do so on our channel.

(02:47):
But for now, let's stick to nootropics. What are nootropics? Nootropics are compounds or supplements that enhance cognitive performance. You may have heard people referring to them as a smart drugs, but the actual term nootropics derives from the Greek word 'noos', which translates as 'mind' and 'tropein', which translates as 'towards'. There's a whole host of nootropics in existence today, including some that reportedly enhance executive function, meaning memory, decision-making, and even creativity. It's a fascinating field as these compounds are mostly developed to reach goals and states of being that generations and civilizations of humans have always aspired to. Some of the most potent nootropics are amphetamines, such as Ritalin and Adderall. These are stimulant drugs that increase levels of dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter known to regulate attention, alertness, and energy. These type of stimulant nootropics are most effective in individuals with A DHD and have a long history of use in professions such as piloting and surgery where sustained attention and fast reaction times are vital.

(03:54):
It's not an exaggeration to state that nootropic use is extremely common, at least in the us. One survey carried out in 2017 found that 30% of American respondents stated that they had used a drug for cognitive enhancement, AKA a nootropic at least once in the preceding 12 months. Among this group, 22% had used amphetamines such as Ritalin put differently. A lot of people are using nootropics to get an edge in one area or another, which nootropics can help with social interactions and social anxiety. There are a few different nootropics I came across in my research that can really help with social anxiety issues and symptoms in one way or another. These all help calm nerves and in some cases help bring out the natural charisma in people while improving mental energy and mental sharpness at the same time. Uridine Monophosphate, or UMP. To explain what uridine monophosphate is, I have to also explain what RNA is short for ribonucleic acid.

(04:55):
While DNA is the tiny double helix that encodes all of your genes, RNA is its sibling molecule. Where DNA stores your genetic information, RNA translates it into proteins. RNA uses a ribonucleotide called uridine to translate the DNA code. Besides its role in RNA, uridine helps the body break down sugar for energy, and it plays a big role in brain functions in human adults. The liver creates uridine in the form of uridine monophosphate or UMP and secretes it into the blood. Some smart scientists eventually discovered that UMP can be used as a neurotropic to help fight depression symptoms with the fantastic side effect of enhancements to memory and learning. From my understanding, the brain uses uridine monophosphate to create CDP-Choline, a well-known memory enhancer and other brain phospholipids, or in other words, UMP creates the right environment for increased neuronal plasticity and synapse formation, helping the brain to adapt, learn, remember, and regrow as a nootropic for social interactions.

(06:02):
Uridine monophosphate can help amp up verbal fluency a lot with users reporting an ability to speak several sentences in a row without taking a breath or stop to remember what to say. After taking a relatively low dose of 100 milligrams, which is far below the 1000 to 2000 milligram per day dosage used in clinical trials, having this verbal fluency can help boost confidence significantly during social interactions, which in turn can lower social anxiety. Uridine monophosphate is also said to help remove brain fog while also improving motivation levels when taken at dosages around the 200 milligram range. As with any nootropic drug or supplement, please consult with a healthcare professional first and take the opportunity to discuss dosage and any potential downsides while doing so. If you're looking for a uridine monophosphate supplement, we will link our recommendation in the description. Aniracetam. In my research, the Racetams are some of the most commonly used nootropics.

(07:04):
Aniracetam is the only nootropic in the Racetam family that causes potent anti-anxiety effects and is said to increased 'memory i/o' or the brain's ability to push thoughts and processes in and out smoothly. This makes Aniracetam a very strong candidate when looking for a nootropic to help with social anxiety. Aniracetam was discovered in the 1970s by a Swiss pharmaceutical company called Hoffman Laroche, and today it's available as a prescription drug in Europe and as an unregulated medication in the US Canada and the UK. Piracetam, The first synthetic nootropic available to the public came before Aniracetam, which was initially developed as a more potent alternative. Aniracetam works primarily by modulating the production and release of neurotransmitters and other brain chemicals when socializing and networking, especially in more professional environments where the conversation may be more subject orientated and directional, strong memory can really be a key skill even in more casual situations.

(08:08):
Remembering what a person has told you in the past or present and then drawing on that knowledge can really add value to a conversation. In clinical trials where Aniracetam was used for social anxiety purposes, dosages were commonly set at 1000 to 1,500 milligrams a day, which is a pretty large dose for most adults. A more common dosage for everyday use was set at 500 to 750 milligrams taken once or if longer effects are needed twice per day With food. Aniracetam is fat soluble, so taking it alongside a teaspoon or two of a healthy fat like olive oil, coconut oil, or ghee, if you can stomach the taste, can really boost absorption. You will have to do your own research on where to obtain Aniracetam as its availability depends on what country you are located in. Again, please consult with a healthcare professional if considering taking Aniracetam as it's a powerful medication. L-theanine.

(09:08):
If you've ever felt a sense of calm and subtle alertness after a cup of green tea, then you probably have L-theanine to thank for it. In a 2017 study, researchers gave low caffeine green tea to one group of students and a placebo to another. The green tea group experienced a significant reduction in stress levels compared to the placebo group. Another Japanese study on L-theanine found that the trace amounts present in matcha green tea drastically reduced anxiety in mice. L-theanine is an amino acid primarily found in tea leaves, but otherwise can be consumed in dietary form through supplements. L-theanine has several health benefits including relaxation, cognitive focus, and even improved sleep. For our purposes of combating social anxiety, L-theanine can really help increase your reaction times and quick wits translating to an improvement in how quickly you recognize words boosting your memory and recall and reducing mental fatigue.

(10:06):
L-theanine works synergistically with caffeine and together the two increase your reaction time speeding up how quickly you recognize words. For instance, the combo can also boost your memory and reduce mental fatigue. This can be a potent recipe for success when conversing with people. In social situations, you can be both chill, but mentally you're still sharp, present and in the moment. You can either take an L-theanine supplement recommendations linked in the description alongside your regular cup of coffee for this synergistic effect, or try one of the combined L-theanine and coffee supplements available on the market. Curcumin and piperine curcumin is found in turmeric. The common spice used in many Asian dishes and piperine is found in black pepper. Combining both curcumin and piperine is generally a good daily practice for improving mood general anxiety levels and reducing inflammation over the long-term. The main nootropic effects of this combo are only experienced after several weeks of use as this is when the effects of reduced inflammation, lowered anxiety and depression prevention kick in.

(11:13):
There are some other extremely beneficial side effects of curcumin and piperine for mental and bodily health, including reported cancer and pain prevention qualities. Of course, this isn't medical advice that's just summarizing what the latest medical research reports about these compounds. Curcumin apparently contains several different components known as curcuminoids. The polyphenol curcumin has several health advantages as mentioned due to it being a strong antioxidant and having anti-inflammatory antibacterial and antifungal properties. The biggest downside to curcumin is its difficulty in being absorbed into the body, and that's where piperine comes in. Piperine, the active found in chili powder and cayenne pepper increases curcumin, blood absorption by up to 2000%. Considering the low risk profile of both piperine and curcumin, daily dosage of 300 milligrams of a curcumin supplement alongside three milligrams of piperine every morning can help improve general mood, lower anxiety, and reduce levels of inflammation over the long-term.

(12:16):
Check the description for our recommended Curcumin and Piperine supplements. While Curcumin and Piperine are not the most potent combination for improving social anxiety and improving your social interactions specifically, they are likely to bring on a positive effect on social interactions over the longterm. Due to the various subtle improvements in mental and bodily health markers. PerformZen Calm Performance Formula. Of course, I couldn't end this overview of social anxiety nootropics without mentioning one of the best solutions out there; PerformZen Calm Performance formula. PerformZen is a natural supplement designed to help you stay calm under pressure, whether that's getting up on stage to perform in front of an audience or enter a room full of strangers at a social event and carry yourself with confidence and a calm focused mind PerformZen, has proven extremely effective at helping manage social anxiety as it contains a combination of GABA and L-theanine, which help boost mental clarity, theacrine, which aids mental clarity and energy.

(13:19):
Ginkgo Biloba, which is an effective stress reducer plus vitamins and minerals like magnesium and vitamin B6, which have proven effective in reducing even severe cases of stress. Together, the potent mix of ingredients in PerformZen make it a fantastic natural nootropic to help get rid of your social anxiety issues and fears. Many of our happy previous customers thought so. At least to find out all about PerformZen, check out our website using the link in the description or Google PerformZen and we are the first result. That's all for this video. Make sure you click the like button and smash that subscribe button to get updated when we launch new videos all about different ways to combat social anxiety symptoms in the coming weeks. Or if you want to learn more about overcoming social anxiety right now, then check out these other videos on our channel. Good luck in your journey, and until next time, break a leg.