Genius Joy Review: The first “feel-good” nootropic?

Genius Joy

5.8

Short-term Effects

6.5/10

Long-term Effects

3.0/10

Price

6.5/10

Safety

7.0/10

Positives

• Massive dose of Tyrosine
• Very large dose of Rhodiola rosea
• Will definitely reduce stress levels

Negatives

• Nothing to protect brain health
• Main ingredient doesn't have any proven benefits
• No real nootropic components
• NeuroFactor not as proven as Lion's Mane Mushroom
• Could use some Ashwagandha

Genius Joy Review: Great stack for combating stress

The Genius Brand is quickly becoming one of the biggest supplement companies in the world. Their product range now covers every aspect of human performance, and they’re clearly selling like crazy. There are lots of reviews online for each Genius Brand product. However, Genius Joy – their dedicated stress and mood support stack – seems to get little attention. Why is that? What does Genius Joy claim to do?

Genius Joy is not just a mood booster. The official website makes it very clear that this is a multi-benefit supplement designed for total life enhancement.

We are told that Genius Joy delivers the following benefits:

1. Decreased stress
2. Reduced cortisol and revived CNS
3. Improved memory, focus, and mental clarity
4. Supports healthy dopamine-serotonin balance

Genius Joy takes a really novel approach to cognitive enhancement – stress “clogs” the brain, so by reducing stress and improving mood, this supplement supposedly boosts productivity and performance.

So this looks like a really interesting nootropic. We’ve never seen another stack put so much emphasis on neurotransmitter balance and subjective well-being.

But how much of this is true? Does Genius Joy really do all these things? Is it safe? Will it cause side effects? Check out our detailed Genius Joy review below and find out!

Genius Joy Ingredients

Every good Genius joy review starts with a thorough examination of the formula. Here is the Genius Joy ingredients list as it is displayed on the bottle:

Below is a brief overview of the Genius Joy ingredients, what they do, how they work, and what we make of the doses. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to put them in the comments section at the end.

S-Adenosylmethionine Tosylate Disulfate (SAMe) – 1g

S-Adenosylmethionine Tosylate Disulfate, or SAM-e as it is more commonly known in the US, is quite an obscure supplement. It is naturally occurring in the human body, where it serves as a cosubstrate in methyl transfers. In simple terms, you can think of SAMe as a donor for the creation of various peptides, nucleic acids, lipids, and a whole host of other substrates.

According to our research however, SAMe has no established nootropic properties. It has regularly been touted as a potential anti-depressant, but so far no evidence has been put forward to support this claim.

N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine – 350mg

This is just a slightly more bioavailable form of Tyrosine. People underestimate the impact this amino acid can have on cognitive performance. Tyrosine is extremely effective at reducing anxiety and promoting a calm, clear mind during times of acute mental and physical stress. Clinical trials have found that it is especially effective at supporting focus and memory function in people subjected to sleep deprivation. A fantastic nootropic; every stack can be improved with the addition of Tyrosine in our opinion.

Rhodiola Rosea – (Rhodiola5Plus) 300mg

Rhodila rosea quickly subdues stress, assuages the worst symptoms of anxiety, and relaxes the muscles. It promotes calmness and mental clarity. It also acts as an effective sleep aid. Basically, if you want to reduce stress and promote calm clear-headedness, rhodiola rosea is your best bet. The 300mg we get from Genius Joy is a massive serving compared to the industry standard 100mg. Coupled with a large dose of Tyrosine, Rhodiola rosea will have a big effect on your ability to handle and perform under stress.

Red Panax Ginseng – 250mg

Normally we would be extremely pessimistic about Ginseng in a nootropic. However, Genius Joy explicitly bills itself as an all-round general wellness supplement. As such, we think ginseng was a good addition. Clinical trials show that ginseng supplementation improves subjective well-being. Subjects routinely support better outcomes across a number of parameters; sex drive, confidence, sleep quality, and more. 250mg is about as much as any supplement provides.

Griffonia simplicifolia – (HTPurity – 98% 5-HTP) 100mg

Many of you will be familiar with 5-HTP, which is what Griffonia simplicifolia is consumed for. Genius Joy uses a 98% pure extract, so we are just going to talk about 5-HTP here. 5-HTP is used as a natural mood support supplement. It is an amino acid and a precursor to – and intermediary in the synthesis of – serotonin.

Serotonin is the archetypal “feel good” neurotransmitter; it is responsible for eliciting feelings of joy, contentedness, and all-round happiness. It is also involved in learning, memory formation, and motivation. Taking 5-HTP can promote serotonin synthesis, rectifying any deficiency which may be hurting your cognitive performance or mood.

NeuroFactor – 100mg

This coffee bean extract is all the rage right now. It claims to promote overall cognitive function. Its manufacturers say that it increases levels of BDNF in the brain, thereby promoting brain growth, development and maintenance. Unfortunately, the website does not list any independent clinical trials to back up these claims; instead, they tell you to get in touch and they’ll then show you their evidence!

L-Theanine – (TheaKalm) 100mg

Theanine promotes general calmness, reduces stress, and helps bring on sleep. It counteracts the negative effects of caffeine while heightening its most beneficial effects. It acts as a very subtle muscle relaxant, which is partly what makes it such a good sleep aid. Theanine doesn’t have any major, noticeable effects by itself. But it does play a good supporting role in reducing stress and anxiety. It is a very good supplement if you are a heavy coffee drinker.

B Vitamins + Vitamin D3

Most people are deficient in Vitamin D, particularly in the West. This vitamin regulates bone density, immune system function, and is correlated with testosterone levels in men. B Vitamins regulate an extremely wide range of bodily processes, from energy metabolism and fatty acid oxidation to nucleic acid synthesis. Supplementing with these vitamins has practically no downsides and plenty of potential upsides. They aren’t necessary in a nootropic, but they’re a good addition to a total optimization stack.

Genius Joy looks like a solid wellness and mood booster. However, it is sold as a nootropic at the end of the day. On that front it fails miserably.

There is a fair bit of dead weight in the Genius Joy formula. Swapping NeuroFactor for Lion’s Mane Mushroom or Artichoke Extract, and adding a few other ingredients – like Ashwagandha – would make Genius Joy much more complete nootropic.

Side Effects: Is Genius Joy safe for long-term use?

We doubt that many users are going to experience any side effects whatsoever from Genius Joy. The ingredients used in this nootropic are well-understood, widely-used, thoroughly tested substances. They’ve all been subject to clinical trials and have been deemed perfectly safe for regular human consumption.

The Genius Brand are a very reputable company. We doubt they would put anything in Genius Joy to risk that reputation!

We do have some slight concern over the use of S-Adenosylmethionine Tosylate Disulfate. There’s no evidence that this provides any nootropic benefits, health benefits, or any other kind of benefits for that matter.

Furthermore, it is a relatively unstudied substance. It has not been used as a supplement for very long.

With such little potential reward, we don’t think it’s worth the risk!

But apart from that, Genius joy looks like a safe natural supplement to us.

In Conclusion – What is Genius Joy good for?

After taking a closer look at Genius Joy, we can honestly say that it is one of the most interesting supplement we’ve ever reviewed.

It is not a normal nootropic. It is actually pretty unique in its approach to cognitive enhancement.

Genius Joy’s focus is reducing stress and anxiety. It aims to promote relaxation, a positive mood, promote drive and motivation, and bring about a calm state of mind.

The idea is that having a calm, clear head allows you to better focus on the important tasks at hand; nothing hurts learning more than stress!

We think Genius Joy does this very well. It provides very large doses of some of the best anxiolytics in existence. Taking such high doses of these proven, safe anxiolytics will definitely help keep you calm, focused, and mentally sharp when you’re under pressure.

The 5HTP, Ginseng and Theanine support subjective wellbeing, positive mood, and good quality sleep.

So all-in-all, this is a pretty good general optimization stack.

Genius Joy is very limited as a nootropic, however. It will help clear your mind, but beyond that it will not enhance any aspect of cognitive function.

There are a few stacks on the market right now that reduce stress and anxiety while enhancing various facets of mental performance.

If you want a mood booster, then Genius Joy is a great option. If you want total brain optimization, maybe look elsewhere.

B. Johnson

Brian Johnson is a former academic researcher, psychologist, and tireless proponent of bio-hacking. Brian has dedicated all of his time since leaving academia and private practice to promoting the benefits to be obtained from the application of biotechnology and bio-hacking supplements. He has years of experience with nootropics, as well as prebiotics, probiotics, and other natural nutritional supplements. He has published scholarly research on natural nootropics; you can find his papers on his Google Scholar page.