“The infinite promise of stacking is why, whatever weight you attribute to the evidence of their efficacy, nootropics will never go away: With millions of potential iterations of brain-enhancing regimens out there, there is always the tantalizing possibility that seekers haven’t found the elusive optimal combination of pills and powders for them—yet. Each ‘failure’ is but another step in the process-of-elimination journey to biological self-actualization, which may be just a few hundred dollars and a few more weeks of amateur alchemy away.” Swallow a pill and become a better you? Nootropics sound too good to be true. So GQ sent one staffer to investigate. Do Nootropics Actually Work? I Took a Bunch of Magic Brain Pills to Find Out.