Jonathan Haidt

Yeah, my fear is that it won't be horrible.

Oh, it'll feel good.

Yeah, that it'll be amazing.

So my fear, my genuine fear, is the rewiring of the mind in a way that can enhance dopamine, enhance serotonin, and do things that can genuinely make you feel better.

In the short run.

Yes, and that we will decide that this is a better thing.

You know, just like, look, regardless of how you feel about SSRIs, most people think that they're being dispensed too readily and that too many people that get on antidepressants could have solved that issue with exercise and diet because this is a big part of the reason why people are feeling shitty in the first place is their body's failing.

Yes.

So there's that.

There's a lot of issues that come along with those.

And yet there's an immense profit in making sure that people take those and stay on those.

My fear is that if you can do something that allows people to have their mind function, have their brain, their endocrine system, have all these things function at a higher level, then everyone is going to do it.

You would not want to just be natural and depressed if you could just put on this little headset and feel fantastic.

And maybe it could be a solution to so many of our society issues.

Maybe bullying would cease to exist if everyone had an increase in dopamine.

It sounds silly.

But if dopamine increased by – look, if you have an entire society that's essentially on a low dose of MDMA –

You're not going to have nearly as much anger and frustration.

And you also are not going to have as much blues.

You're not going to have as many sad songs that people love.