But there is a third variation we should also consider in the field of Hedonic Engineering—ontological addiction. That is where the information or insights gleaned from a given set of practices prove so compelling that they override normal checks and balances. As some of the participants in the study noted, “It was like looking at our life through a crystal ball” and “I was looking down on . . . this whole human experience from another dimension.” That’s novel, potent, and potentially all-consuming.
