Social anxiety is the fear of being judged by others, and it has become a severe issue in the past decade. Luckily, there are many supplements and nootropics for anxiety that can help you out. But which are the best?
What Is Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety is a severe problem that is very hard to get rid of. It is a disorder of a long-lasting and overwhelming fear of social situations. [1]
We often hear people talking about being anxious, being afraid of going out, and speaking to people. Social anxiety is a severe problem, but a solvable one.
In the past months, we got a lot of emails from people asking us about nootropics for social anxiety. If you wonder what nootropics and anxiety have in common, don’t worry, we’ll explain it soon.
But it wasn’t until recently when a friend of ours told us how anxious he feels every time he has to do networking and talk to random, unknown people. Since we wanted to help him, we took the time to listen to him, try to understand what’s happening and find a solution. During this process, we came across a lot of effective nootropics for anxiety. Here we share the most effective ones.
Best Nootropics For Anxiety
We have decided to avoid all nootropics that “might help, but have no proven effects.” So all the nootropics that we share have scientifically proven benefits. Let’s check them out.
L-Theanine
L-Theanine is believed to be one of the most effective nootropics for social anxiety. [2] It’s an amino acid that can be found in tea leaves, especially in green tea.
Why is L-Theanine so effective?
- It supports GABA levels and produces a calming effect.
- It promotes a state of calmness and relaxation, which makes any social activity much easier
- L-Theanine increases alpha brain waves, which are associated with the state of relaxation
- L-Theanine is also involved in the dopamine and serotonin secretion
L-Theanine seems to be one of the most effective anti-anxiety nootropics. The recommended daily dosage is 200 mg.
L-Tyrosine
L-Tyrosine is another amino acid that can help people overcome social anxiety. It helps the brain to create neurotransmitters, which get depleted during stressful social activities. [3]
L-Tyrosine is also known to improve our mood and reduce stress. The recommended daily dosage is up to 2 grams per day. Most experts recommend taking around 500 mg per day around an hour before a stressful social activity.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a popular adaptogen herb native to India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. It has been used for centuries in India. [5] This herb is very potent and can provide a whole list of proven benefits:
- It can help to decrease stress and anxiety
- It can boost cognition and concentration
- It can increase our energy
A study that was done on people with anxiety disorders showed that supplementing 300 mg of Ashwagandha twice daily over eight weeks was associated with a 56.5% reduction in anxiety symptoms. [5] So, Ashwagandha is one of the herbs that should definitely “be on the menu” if you want to help yourself get rid of anxiety. The recommended daily dosage is 300 – 500 mg.
Bacopa Monnieri
Bacopa Monnieri is another adaptogen herb that was already used in the 6th century by scholars to help them improve their memory. [6] It can help people to reduce anxiety and even stress. Also, it is considered a very safe nootropic to supplement.
The recommended daily dosage is 300 mg.
Ginseng
Ginseng is a herb that goes very well with other adaptogens, and it can also provide a synergic effect when combined with caffeine. [7] Besides, Panax Ginseng is often used as a supplement for decreasing stress and anxiety.
The recommended daily dosage is 200 – 400 mg. You can take it up to two times per day.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Lion’s Mane Mushroom is one of the nootropics that we cannot stop recommending. It provides a whole range of benefits (from boosting brain nerve growth factor to improving our cognition), but what we are most interested in are its antidepressant effects. There was a study done on animals that showed that supplementing Lion’s Mane Mushroom can decrease depression, but also help with reducing anxiety. [8] While we wouldn’t take it just as an individual compound, we would suggest combining it with other nootropics for social anxiety that we already mentioned.
The recommended daily dosage varies from 500 – 1000 mg.
Best Nootropic Stack For Anxiety
As we said before, all the mentioned nootropics can be very effective as individual compounds. But what happens if we combine them in a nootropic stack and take them together?
Well, we can expect much stronger and better effects! That’s where the best supplements for social anxiety come into play. We’ve basically tried 90%+ of all nootropic stacks that exist on the market, so we can honestly share with your our favorite and best anti-anxiety stack.
So, the winner is…
QUALIA MIND
For treating social anxiety (or to help you get relaxed, focus, and in a better mood before going out), Qualia Mind is currently considered the best nootropic stack for anxiety.
It contains most of the compounds that we mentioned before. It’s very effective, and people love it. It does contain caffeine, but there is a caffeine-free version available as well.
To order Qualia Mind, click here >>
Use code YOURINCEPTION to get 15% off!
Your Inception Final Recommendation
Therefore, Qualia Mind is a supplement to go for. Be smart, follow the recommended dosages, and we are sure your social issues are issues of the past.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Noopept good for anxiety?
No, based on our research, Noopept is not good for anxiety. It lacks research, and we don’t exactly know all side effects that can arise. So we do not recommend supplementing Noopept for anxiety.
2. Nootropics for performance anxiety – can they help?
Yes, they can. If you do take nootropics for performance anxiety, make sure to take only well-researched nootropics that you can take in the long-term.
Resources
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-anxiety/
- https://examine.com/supplements/theanine/
- https://www.yourinception.com/l-tyrosine/
- https://www.yourinception.com/ultimate-guide-to-racetams/
- https://examine.com/supplements/ashwagandha/
- https://examine.com/supplements/bacopa-monnieri/
- https://examine.com/supplements/panax-ginseng/
- https://www.yourinception.com/lions-mane/
- https://www.yourinception.com/best-nootropics/
Grega Gostincar, MSc, is the founder of Your Inception. He has been researching, testing, and experimenting with nootropics since 2015. Greg, a certified expert in nutrition and brain biohacking from Emory University, is one of the most recognized researchers in the field of nootropics.