The Pill That Cures Approach Anxiety

How many of you have ever seen a cute girl like this…

prettygirl

and thought…

Wow, I should go talk to her…

Damn, that girl is really cute. I should DEFINITELY go talk to her…

Wait maybe too much time has passed…

Yeah it would be weird to talk to her now. I’ll just wait for the NEXT cute girl. Because they’re everywhere! Abundance mentality! Yeah!

Please raise your hand if this has happened to you. One, two, three… OK, good, everyone.

The truth is we all experience approach anxiety to some degree. I don’t care if you are the most bad-ass approach machine on the planet, I guarantee you have had your moments of being an excuse-spewing little bitch. I have them all the time. I may approach more than 95% of men, but I still let tons of viable daytime approach targets slip through my fingers for no good reason. C’est la vie.

There are a variety of effective tactics, re-frames, and mental tricks you can play on yourself to lessen your approach anxiety. Many blog posts have been written on the subject. Books have been written. One could argue that overcoming approach anxiety is the single most important aspect of pick-up, hence why so much mental energy has been expended coming up with solutions, from Mystery’s three-second rule, to Tyler Durden’s Crash and Burn missions, Mark Manson’s progressive desensitization therapy, to Roosh’s innocuous elderly opener. In my own travels through life, I’ve developed a few NLP hacks of my own that have given me the ability to approach consistently.

But let’s be honest: learning and implementing all that sounds like a lot of work. Seeing as it’s the 21st Century, can’t I just take a goddamn pill or something and be done with it?

I write this tongue-in-cheek, but the answer is: yes you can. You can take a safe, cheap and legal pill, and remove approach anxiety as an obstacle in your life. Return of Kings readers, please allow me to introduce you to: Theanine.

Theanine-3D-balls

I started taking Theanine for it’s Nootropic qualities. I had no idea it would have any effect on my ability to approach. Then, walking home from work on Day 1 of my Theanine experiment, I realized I had zero social fear whatsoever. My eyes confidently scanned every girl that I passed for fuckability. The three that made the cut, I opened effortlessly. No fear. No ‘psyching up.’ Just an easy-peasy introduction as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The three interactions (two solid numbers and a nice chat with a lovely girl who seems quite happy with her boyfriend) all went very smoothly. I was just totally and completely ‘In The Zone.’

I was particularly surprised by the strength of my chilled out sex machine vibe, because I was rocking – at the risk of sounding like a middle school girl – a huge icky gross pimple right on my chin and feeling like, totally not pretty. I had no intention of crunching numbers that evening. It just happened. Motherfucking Theanine.

The effect was so strong, and the coincidence of it being my first day on Theanine too great. I got home and fired up the old laptop. Checked out the Google results for Theanine Social Anxiety. You can read the journal articles that all find effects with small sample sizes, or just trust the hordes of autists praising it to the heavens on social anxiety support forums.

It stands to reason that if Theanine can turn the socially anxious into the socially competent, it can turn the socially gifted (such as moi) into social Demigods. And so it was. I do not suffer from “Social Anxiety” in any reasonable sense, but pre-Theanine, daytime approaches were some degree of a challenge. Post-Theanine, they are a breeze.

Bottom line: Pick up a bottle for twenty bucks at your local gay herbal health store today, or buy it on Amazon here. You should also learn more about Theanine’s Nootropic effects. After you’ve had a taste, come back and let us know how it worked out for you.

Read More: How I Beat Social Anxiety

93 thoughts on “The Pill That Cures Approach Anxiety”

  1. As soon as I saw the word “nootropic” in this article I checked the Supplemental Facts of my container of Alpha Brain (nootropic Joe Rogan pimps on his podcast). It contains 200 mg of L-theanine per serving. I have noticed a decrease in approach anxiety since taking it, and I’ve been a little quicker on my feet in terms of approaching and responding to girls (I started taking them about 2 months ago). I’ve approached close to 1000 girls during day game and no doubt that has improved my game more than anything else, but these pills do seem to give me a slight cognitive boost.

  2. Just gonna point this out before the beta beta beta keyboard jockeys blow this up-
    Yes, you should become good at approaching without the aid of any substance.
    Frost is advocating using Theanine to take shit to a different level, not as a crutch.

    1. Bro you mean you don’t effortlessly nail every single approach, no matter what your mental state at the time? Beta.

    2. Assuming this works it might be able to get beginners over the hump and accelerate their learning like this:
      1 – Take Pill
      2 – Be able to approach without overwhelming AA
      3 – Get good, or at least realistic experiences from approaching that push out the dread imagined responses from girls
      4 – Stop taking the pill
      5 – Use the memories of good approaches to overcome the anxiety
      Unless people have a ‘Game is only REAL game if you learn it and practice it the hardest way possible’ attitude, the above makes perfect sense.

  3. Guys, don’t be stupid and get drugged up on some shit you don’t know the effects. Do your homework first, find out what the drug does.

    1. Agree on general principle, I’m just some asshole with a blog.
      But Theanine is actually very safe and side effect free, hence why it’s available OTC.

    2. Ever had a few drinks to make it easier to approach at a bar? Seems hypocritical to crap on this just because it isn’t socially sanctioned.
      It’s cheaper than alcohol, which we know for a fact has a ton of deleterious effects on your body.

    3. When I need the drugs to talk to the girls, I call my amigo Pablo and I say “Pablo, cuando can I get some of the cocacina you always take to the border?” Si. And he give me the cocacina and I put it in my culo, and I smell really hard and then I talk to all the girls, si. So if you no wana getting the theanino you can ask my amigo Pablo and he give you the cocacina. Is very good! Si!

  4. Thanks for the suggestion!
    I used to take ‘happy pills’ when I was married and have been off them since the divorce per my doctor’s suggestion (he said the X factor [double pun] is now gone). Hated the side effects of those pills (libido shot to hell!).
    It’s been two years and I have an occasional ‘panic’ so this was helpful.
    If anyone wants to cross check – here’s WebMD’s review: http://tinyurl.com/3z27qfn

  5. I like getting high for approaching, but I’m one of the lucky ones where weed makes me active, focused and talkative (and I’m not noticeably on drugs). Great for day game.

  6. I think this may be worth a try for some of the super anxious, but I actually like some nervousness because once I do the approach, I feel a sense of accomplishment, that I tackled a personal hurdle, no matter how small, from my own effort without any external aid.

    1. Definitely a must-try for anyone who seriously struggles with approach anxiety.
      But even for regular guys (regular by RoK reader standards that is, 90% of men will never cold approach in their life) it’s still a nice and subtle boost to your state. I would compare it to 5% of a medium MDMA high.
      Great for productivity as well.

      1. in Southeast Asia, we don’t really have good medicine shops. All these new fancy drugs are pretty much impossible to find.
        But there’s plenty of meth to go around.

    2. I agree totally. I did one of my best recent approaches hung over as hell, and I think the nervousness actually aided me during the approach by heightening my awareness, and yes, afterwards, it felt good too, to have made a solid approach under “adverse” circumstances.
      That said, I love trying new nutrients and supplements, and I will give this one a try, just for the hell of it. FYI, Frosty, theanine is found in green tea, and a decently strong green tea brew will probably give the desired effect as well as a pill would. The pill or tablet’s advantage is in more precise dose metering.

    3. I’d give it a try. But I’m also in the camp that some nervousness is a good thing.
      I can’t explain the feeling you get when you overcome approach anxiety and open a girl you never talked to before. If I could put that in pill form I’d make millions.

      1. Studies have shown that the anxiety before competition, coupled with success creates dopamine. That is what you are feeling, the dopamine high.
        It was documented in a study of endocrine systems of Wall Street traders. They spit in a cup throughout the day, and endocrine substances were measured. As the moments neared for markets to open, insulin and testosterone were created in the body. At the end of the day, they had elevated testosterone levels that stayed higher than in the morning, coupld with the dopamine.
        The author Tom Wolff also associated this combination, testosterone with the dopamine, with sexual success. Meaning the elevated levels actually led to sexual success with women. A poll of women that worked on Wall Street showed the women overwhelmingly preferred traders to other specialties, even though the non-traders had equal or greater financial success and position. I assume the elevated testosterone levels coupled with the risk taking, dopamine laden nature of the men lead to this preference in women.

    4. The act of overcoming fear creates testosterone. My opinion that “Fake it until you make it” is when after resolving inner game issues and many fear accompanied approaches that you reach the proper level of testosterone and give the signals and finally reach congruence in musculature, attitude, and personality.

      1. what if you’re already muscular and badass, but don’t approach girls? I can squat 415 and deadlift 520, but I can’t look a girl in the eye and tell her I want to fuck her (so I just leave her alone). I have tons of balls when it comes to networking or standing up for something I believe in, but I’m cowardly when it comes to this incredibly important aspect of my life. I’mma give this shit a try – it’s not like steroids.

  7. New business idea: site run by Sanjay in Calcutta selling these things for $1 a pop. Takers?

  8. I did some research on theanine, and it’s basically a tea leave extract. So everyone talking about “drugging” hasn’t done even the most basic research.
    As a matter of fact, I’ve come to trust natural dietary supplements like theanine that often fix “causes” of problems instead of treating “symptoms” like modern medicine does.
    The problems we talk about on this board are merely one facet of a much larger “Matrix” than most of us realize.
    In fact, we are consistently lied to by not only the medical-pharmaceutical establishment on a regular basis – we are lied to about practically everything under the sun. It literally can drive you to the point of madness after deciding to “go down the rabbit hole” and see where the truth and critical analysis lead you.
    After reading this article and doing some basic research, I decided to ride over to GNC and pick up a bottle of theanine. I’ll post the results after I’ve taken a few capsules. Mostly, it interested me because it helps promote relaxation and curbs anxiety. I get anxious quite often in the high-pressure, backstabbing, two-faced, female-dominated work environment I have to be in. (Well, the environment I have to be in – FOR NOW. I’m making escape plans.)

      1. “Theanine is an amino acid and a glutamic acid analog primarily found in tea (Camellia sinensis), and also in the basidiomycete mushroom Boletus badius and in guayusa. More specifically, this compound is called L-theanine, being the L- amino acid.
        It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement, and is classified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredient.”
        That’s from Wikipedia. I didn’t see anywhere in the article that it was called a drug.

  9. Manosphere taking things to the next level haha yup.
    You reckon theanine over phenibut tho? Phenibut seems to have more things going on for it.
    Ayahuasca and LSD next I reckon!

    1. Nothing wrong with DMT and LSD. Mushrooms too. If these things help advance your consciousness spiritually, then good.
      Joe Rogan talks a lot about DMT and psychdelic drug trips. That guy is really in the zone, he’s right on pretty much the majority of what he says.

  10. i prefer rohipnol. but to each his own. lulzrcoaster.
    taking a public speaking class worked great for me. most people have a huge fear of public speaking.

  11. I try to understand how you think that girl you posted is cute, she is a 7, she is not that cute. bye.

  12. I work across the street from Whole Foods, so I’ll pick these up on my way out.
    I’ve successfully experimented with nootropics, namely 5HTP and GABA, for relatively intense depression and above average social anxiety (I used to joke that 5HTP is my favorite psychedelic b/c it takes to new places: being happy). As a late diagnosed Aspie, I effectively grew out of all of it, with nootropics like this being a critical part of it,.
    My ‘Noble Eight Fold Path’ in all this has been:
    – Learn pick-up/social dynamics with the Aspie’s uncanny ability to focus and absorb, this should come easily – at least the rules. Practiced action can come as he deals with his social demons and anxieties.
    – Mindfulness meditation: Learning to ‘see’ and ‘track’ your patterns of socially maladaptive behavior, including tics, stuttering, approach anxiety triggers, etc. Once you can watch them and accept them in the moment, ‘change’ becomes fluid.
    – Diet: Cutting down on drinking (a known depressant), cutting out sugars and processed and starch (messing up your serotonin levels, causing blood sugar spikes). Go to a plant-heavy, lean meat diet, with heavy focus on juicing. This kind of diet also makes you look physically better (leaner physique, better skin, nicer hair, etc), contributing – at least superficially – to an improved self-image.
    – Nootropics: 5HTP (a natural SSRI, w/o any of the shitty side effects of Prozac) helped dramatically with my depression. I was prone to crying at a drop of a hat, 3-4x weekly, along with frequent bad days; now, it’s been one time in 5 months. Couple a 5HTP and clean diet regimen with mindfulness practice and you have a recipe for success. I quickly found myself in a state of calm, strong, Zen-like manly energy that more or less stayed as I maintained my practice. I’ll be curious to see how adding L-theanine to the mix impacts things.
    – Working out: I do intense bikram yoga, Matt Furey’s ‘Combat Conditioning’, and kettle bells about 5x a week. Chemically, these all lead to boosts in short and long-term testosterone levels which, beyond it’s manly benefits, is an anti-estrogen, helping to prevent depression and contribute to a calmer, manlier state of mind. Mentally (and spiritually, if that’s your bag), you progressively learn the qualities of steadfastness, commitment, and focus. These qualities marry with your learned mindfulness to create a positive feedback loop of taking action and sticking with your word. Nothing manlier.
    – Reading: Reading on the most inspirational books that either provide with direct tools for your practice (mindfulness, nutrition, self-improvement, no-bs psychology) or for indirect inspiration for your life (adventure books, biographies of your heroes, etc). My favorites have been anything by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Tony Robbins, ‘Fat Sick and Nearly Dead’ (documentary), and lots of adventure novels.
    – Practice: Getting out there and putting this shit to work. Getting out in the world and spreading your happiness, showing your charisma, working your charm. This is where the art of it all comes in.
    (Didn’t mean for this to turn into a post but I got on a roll 🙂

    1. Did the same thing and will be testing this weekend. Read a lot of great reviews, but also read plenty of nightmare stories abut its addictive nature, withdrawals,etc

  13. I’m copying parts of the FAQ from the /r/Nootropics subreddit, because it’s important:
    Are all “L-theanine” preparations the same?
    Currently Suntheanine is the only L-theanine preparation known to be 100% L-theanine, the psychoactive isomer. Other preparations may contain up to 50% D-theanine, a non-psychoactive isomer.
    Purebulk claim that their manufacturer’s synthesis is near 100% L-theanine.
    Bulk Nutrients also claims to have pure L-theanine.
    Do you build tolerance to the effects of L-theanine?
    There isn’t solid research on this question, but there are very few reports of tolerance issues. Tolerance isn’t likely to be an issue for most people taking a standard amount of L-theanine.
    Basically, you should take L-theanine in a cycle so that it retains its effectiveness. Also, try to get pure L-theanine, since the D-theanine isomer doesn’t affect your anxiety at all, and may actually inhibit the effectiveness of the L-theanine in the mixture.

  14. I’d also suggest taking fish oils. They are great with keeping your moods in check and making your mind sharp. It’s easier to approach with a sharp mind and good attitude.

  15. I won’t comment on the efficacy of this medicament but feel compelled to advise you young men to work ballroom dance into your personal improvement regime to enure yourself of female capriciousness and the terror of making the approach.

  16. Does this drug have any effect (positive or negative) or sexual drive and libido?

    1. Wait, really? Or are you just talking out of your ass like you do with everything that’s not immediately pickup related (coughs, my mom deadlifts 315 and she’s 50 and you were proud to deadlift 225).

  17. Theanine doesn’t seem to have a strong effect on me. Of course, modafinil doesn’t help me focus nearly as much as others have reported.

  18. Forget about women, I might use this for making sales calls. If it gets me in the groove for closing the sale, that’s money.

    1. I feel you. I interned at an insurance company during undergrad; this would have been nice.

  19. Frost, what is your dosage?
    Are you taking 1 or 2 a day, or taking something like 4X the dosage before you go out?

  20. Interesting article. More than anything I’m surprised that no one has said something about the girl pictured looking no more than 13 years old…

    1. CHIILLLLLLLLLL BRO…… Most girls I know look 15~16 at most and they’re all same age as me, 19~20… That girl COULD be 13, but honestly I think she’s 17~20…. I’ve seen a lot of girls a lot older than they look, you can’t generalize just from one picture, let alone one girl…

  21. Arianna Pattek, a racist, man-hating feminist bitch
    http://www.crimesagainstfathers.com/australia/Forums2/tabid/369/forumid/232/threadid/6149/scope/posts/Default.aspx
    In the above link, you will find evidence of her committing the CRIME of discrimination based on a man’s race.
    I have included her personal email, the email of her academic advisor, link to her Facebook account, link to her two blogs, and her pictures as well.
    I suggest you men write to her through her email, Facebook, and blogs, and tell her that you are reporting her for the CRIME of discrimination against men.
    American women are really evil bitches.

    1. Dream job for most women is to be a bureaucratic gate keeper. Stir in some moralizing hypocrisy and the effects can be devastating to an organization. Encorpera runs on this paradigm nowadays.

  22. You need a script or a buddy but I’ve used propanolol to this effect. It inhibits the action of adrenaline on a lot of tissues involved with the fight or flight response (rapid pulse, sweating, etc.) and it helped me start approaching without physically becoming a nervous wreck. Now that I’m mentally calibrated to approaching I don’t really need them anymore either. Works great for presentations and other public performances too.

  23. Watch out for any interactions it might have with medication you are currently taking: HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS (Norvasc, Capoten, Cozaar, Diovan); and STIMULANTS (e.g sudafed, epinephrine, Pre workout supplements.)

  24. ” I may approach more than 95% of men…” you do, do you? thats rather interesting.

  25. “I may approach more than 95% of men, but I still let tons of viable daytime approach targets slip through my fingers for no good reason.” — Frost, if you’re approaching 95% of men, you may be on the wrong site…just saying.

  26. The author completely oversold theanine. I have tried it (200mg) and it just didn’t wipe away the AA. It just made me cooler. My game warm-up strategies remain as the most important thing to get rid of AA.

  27. Interesting… never heard this before as a benefit for Theanine.
    Isn’t Theanine in green tea though? How much green tea would one have to drink in order to get the same effect?

  28. usually one regular cup of green tea or yerba mate has about the same effect of one theanine capsule, so there’s definitely a placebo boost involved attached to the way of intake. nonetheless it really works well. the only problem is adaptation so you might want to cycle theanine like you do with creatine.
    and if you really want to cure complete powerful massive anxiety with ONE PILL only, you take PROPRALONOL. i work at german military and this is what military doctors give to panicked soldiers before taking off to afghanistan. i’ve seen the effects first hand. it’s unbelievable. body language switches within one hour from beta to alpha and the same crunched, anxious, sweaty, stuttering guy steps upright into the plane and is just calm and ready. no fear whatsoever. google propralonol and fear.
    you need a doctor’s prescription to get ahold off though over here. you can’t just pick it up at a pharcamy. i guess it’s similar over in the US.

    1. Yeah that’s because it’s a beta-blocker – it’s used for blood pressure, what you’re seeing is the spill-over effect of it blocking the adrenaline receptors – less adrenaline, less anxiety.
      Really don’t recommend that people start taking it as a dating aide though – there are reasons that it’s a prescription only medicine.

  29. Just got theanine in the mail yesterday. Social anxiety is greatly reduced. Feeling an amazing euphoria.

  30. Day 1 – Exactly as advertised. I was so calm, had no problems accessing stories, speaking to people I normally don’t, generally was in a very positive frame of mind. My bi-weekly review with my boss had never gone that well before. I actually couldn’t believe life could taste so sweet.
    Day 2 – Still pretty positive, though my internal filter was beginning to fail. There was a girl at work who I have no interest in sleeping with. I almost made the mistake of saying, “You smell delicious today.”
    Day 3 – I took the pill at 2 PM instead of 6:30 AM. Crushing anxiety, negative state of mind, had to fight constantly against a nearly non-existent internal filter. Made a total fool of myself in front of a friend of mine, 2 strangers and 2 girls I really wanted to fuck (2 HB8s), no impression on the HB7.5 and couldn’t even approach the HB9.5. I actually thought I forgot to take it and got myself into a negative feedback loop because I wasn’t experiencing the positive effects (Why am I so anxious? Why am I so negative? Just two days ago I felt great but now it has no effect? Is this how I’ll always be? Will I never get better than this??? Etc. etc. ). I also didn’t do any pre-game rituals that I do when going out so that also contributed I’m sure.
    Note I counted and I did take the pill on Day 3.
    Day 4 – Horribly nauseous which I think is unrelated. I will say this, I do feel a sense of determination which is unusual and I’m somewhat positive despite feeling sick.
    I’m not sure what to think about this. I think it will amply a positive state of mind if you’re working to get there but will do nothing if you’re not working to get there like Prozac or another antidepressant (I’m speculating, never been on an antidepressant). One thing that it has done, on Day 3, was to expose one massive Inner Game issue which is something I’m extremely grateful to be aware of now. Now I can work on that issue and overcome it.
    I do plan to burn through the 60 I bought so we’ll see what happens.

    1. your a debbie downer paid by some f*cking pharmacutical company to drive our minds away from something that could be good for the male and female relationship, hence more unity without getting abnochously drunk everyday and keeping money in the drug dealing gangs that are really a run off from our own government to keep us down and out of our minds.. So F*ck you sir!..

  31. oh come on could you just do it anyway instead of waiting and wasting min.. no days in nerding around it and developing super-magic-effective-whatever strategies?

  32. Took these these all last week before going out and it actually works. This is not just for approaching women but even for work or any other situation that stresses you out. One hell of a product!

  33. Frost-
    What supplement can I take for good mood brain chemical burnout? I have no GABA or serotonin left man.
    On approaching-
    For me its gotten way easier. I am bold and fearless one to one with girls and I find the true 10s although rare enough (unless your a lucky bastard who lives in SoCal Vegas or Miami) are really great girls who are friendly. The most bitchy ones usually have nothing else going for them but their looks. I’ve become a bit of a sociopath as dad as not giving a flip what culture norms or people think. My only reservation is when the chicks with some guys- I try to use the Neil Strauss- so how do you guys know each other? Or the hey man is she your sister/ friend/etc?
    Have any of to Guys been in a fight over approaching some girl who was with some guys?

  34. This is a joke. Theanine’s effects are barely noticeable. Seriously, it’s not even in the same league as Phenibut, which is also some weak shit (but would be much better for approaches). The author of this article experienced a placebo effect at best.
    If you really want to kill anxiety, use what the pro’s use for speaking engagements: propranolol.
    Theanine is a joke “nootropic”/stress reliever, and always has been. It’s lack of rampant popularity speaks to this. People are desperate to kill anxiety, in general, and theanine is well known. It simply doesn’t work as the author suggests.

  35. Theanine is very benign. I don’t know why it’s being touted here as a cure for approach anxiety……if you’re looking for such a pill, as one of the commenters here has already recommended it’s Propranolol. It kills fear and adrenaline totally. Job interviews, public speaking, street fights…none of these things cause any concern once you pop one of these babies. Save the theanine for the tea drinkers.

  36. Rocket Science by Magnum, mainly used for pre-workouts (3 capsules per serving), actually kills my approach anxiety when i’m at the gym and other places. Bought a bottle of 60 caps for just 29 CAD.

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  38. Bacopa is another substance/plant that most likely is very safe.
    I have only used it for sleep now and then.
    The only other safe & simple thing I know of (that has worked as intended) is Beta-blockers, though they mostly ameliorate the bodily reactions.

  39. I’m familiar with L-Theanine, combined with caffeine @ 200-400mg it gives you about 30-40 minutes of concentration. That’s about it. If your going to specify Theanine as a cure to anxiety, you should probably include a dosage or instructions. If you want to cure social anxiety for at least a time the substance you want is TESTOSTERONE. If you’re looking for a permanent cure to general anxiety, the cure is iodine. Not kidding on either.

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