Genius Joy Review

Isobel Davies tests this popular mood enhancing supplement in our Genius Joy review. Find out whether it hit the spot or whether you should look for a better alternative…

Genius Joy is a product brought to us by The Genius Brand, a company that focuses on a range of supplements that cover nootropics to weight loss. Although a relative newcomer to the supplement market, they have grown fast and established a solid reputation along the way.

Today we are taking an in-depth look at one of their mood boosters, Genius Joy. It falls under their nootropics range but it isn’t an outright cognitive booster – rather, it focuses more on improving mood, reducing anxiety, and promoting a sense of calm.

Let’s take a thorough look at it in our Genius Joy review.

Genius Joy – An Introduction

Although falling under The Genius Brand’s nootropic section (of which they have no less than 11 different supplements – Edit: They now have 13 different nootropics available, July 2024), Genius Joy is actually more of a serotonin mood booster.

In other words, it’s supposed to help increase serotonin production in the body, which in turn will improve nerve cell transmission in the brain, which can help improve mood and relieve anxiety.

Manufactured in a GMP Certified facility in Georgia, Genius Joy has an all-natural ingredient profile that is vegetarian (although not vegan) friendly.

It does have some excellent ingredients which we will discuss shortly, although some are found across many of their supplements and so if you wanted to enjoy other cognitive benefits such as an increase in focus, memory or concentration then you’d likely have to double or triple up on Genius’ other nootropic supplements.

For the purposes of this Genius Joy review, we tested the product for 4 weeks. We started off on the recommended dose of 2 capsules per day and then upped this to 4 capsules per day as per the instructions.

As Genius Joy (and most nootropics) have an acute effect, we were expecting to see and feel the impact of the supplement fairly quickly. In this review, we will discuss the impact of Genius Joy, discuss the ingredient profile, and also give you our assessment as to the efficacy in terms of relieving anxiety and improving mood.

Genius Joy Ingredients

On the whole, Genius Joy has a decent stack of ingredients. It’s not on a par with some of our top rated nootropics such as NooCube or MindLab Pro, but it still packs a pretty decent punch.

All the ingredients are individually accounted for except for four proprietary blends. This is something that we always hate to see as you can never be 100% sure of the quantities of ingredients within each proprietary blend.

That being said, Genius Joy does at least give the percentages of each ingredient within each proprietary blend.

You get six B vitamins – B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12, as well as vitamin D.

You then get L-Theanine, Red Panax Ginseng and N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine. To finish you get the four blends which include NeuroFactor, HTPurity 5-HTP, Adomix (a form of SAMe) and Rhodiola5Plus.

We won’t cover everything individually, but let’s look at what these ingredients should give you in terms of a serotonin boost.

The Vitamins

Getting your daily recommended dose of B vitamins is important, but not all of them play a central role when it comes to brain health. The ones of real importance here are B1, B6 and B12 which help keep the nervous system in check.

Vitamin D is also a good addition to this mix of vitamins as it is classed as neuroprotective, and it is now understood to have a variety of benefits that contribute to overall neuro functioning.

The doses of each vitamin are adequately supplied when taking 4 capsules per day, and you wouldn’t need any additional B or D vitamin supplements on top of Genius Joy.

Adomix®

(S-Adenosy-L-methionine (SAMe) Tosylate Disulfate)

S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) is a substance that occurs naturally within the body. Its main function is to keep hormones in check and to look after cell membranes. In supplement form it is widely available in the US, but it’s worth noting that in some European countries it is only offered on prescription.

It is used primarily to treat osteoarthritis, liver disease and depression.

For the purposes of using it as a mood enhancer is its use in the treatment of depression that we are most interested. Although there are some studies that support SAMe’s use as a mood enhancer (and too for the treatment of depression), these studies are fairly limited, with far from optimal testing conditions which were only conducted on a very small sample size.

So long as you aren’t taking any existing anti-depressants, then SAMe (in this case, Adomix®) is generally considered safe to consume; however, the verdict on its efficacy is still up for debate.

NeuroFactor™

Each 4-capsule serving gives you 100mg of NeuroFactor™, which is essentially coffee fruit extract. It is a popular ingredient that is now found in a range of nootropics thanks to its rich polyphenols content.

It is thought that polyphenols increase brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which in turn helps to promote neuron growth and protection.

NueroFactor™ is thought to have a positive influence on mood and memory, and so we think this is a very solid inclusion in Genius Joy’s mix.

HTPurity 5-HTP™

5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) comes from L-tryptophan, is harnessed from the seeds of Griffonia Simplicifolia, and it increases the production of serotonin in the brain. This means it is often used to treat disorders that increased serotonin levels are thought to alleviate – these include depression and anxiety.

Though there is less evidence to support the use of 5-HTP to reduce levels of anxiety specifically, there is a growing bank of evidence to support its use to combat depression.

An additional concern when it comes to ingesting 5-HTP is that it is unlikely to be absorbed in to the body before being broken down, and essentially destroyed in the stomach. It is likely that some will become absorbed but not in any way high enough a dosage to make any significant impact.

When we consider the likely poor absorption rate and the lack of evidence to support its inclusion to tackle anxiety, then it doesn’t look like the most potent of ingredients.

Rhodiola5Plus®

(Rhodiola Rosea)

Here we have an excellent ingredient. Many nootropics include Rhodiola Rosea thanks to its naturally soothing qualities, and it is well known as an ingredient that has significant anti-anxiety benefits.

It is an adaptogen we see it here in good quantity – the 300mg dose is more than sufficient to combat stress.