Exploring Cognitive Enhancement Technologies in the Workplace: A Systematic Literature Review

We are heading towards a future dominated by demands for high levels of performance and productivity, leveraging technological advancements to enhance and potentially reshape our cognitive abilities. This trajectory can assist with peak mental performance, but it also raises concerns around safety and ethical implications, among other considerations. Therefore, this research seeks to clarify these perceptions and views by looking at policy, individual, and social levels. It aims to determine whether pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE) technologies, such as nootropics, are relevant in the workplace and how management can deal with their use. Numerous studies investigate the benefits of PCE, often yielding mixed results due to the misclassification of true nootropics versus other forms of PCE. Therefore, this study does a systematic literature review to find out what cognitive effects nootropics have and how their use at work is similar to other ways to improve performance, like getting enough sleep and eating well. The study contributes to the literature by unfolding the growing interest in self-enhancement via pharmacological and technological methods. It concludes with emerging trends and tendencies, thus expanding the discourse on strategizing toward healthy hyper-performance with PCE technologies in the workplace.