According to a Visa study, U.S. domestic online and in-app spending rose from 48% to 58% between 2019 and 2026, illustrating the rise of the couch economy. Research by Stanford psychiatrist Anna Lembke reveals that constant pursuit of instant rewards triggers a « dopamine deficit », where pleasure no longer serves to feel good but simply to return to a normal state. This trend coincides with a 28% decline in the number of words Americans speak daily compared to 2007, with loneliness now costing the U.S. economy $406 billion per year. Additionally, researchers found measurable physical loss of dopamine-releasing nerve terminals, up to 20% in some brain regions, in patients suffering from long COVID.
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