The Dopamine-Cortisol Loop The "anaesthetic" effect described is a neurochemical hijack. When you experience the "deep, vibrating anxiety" of the Empire (comparison, inadequacy), your brain's Amygdala floods the system with cortisol. This is pain.

To manage this pain without solving the root cause, the brain seeks a rapid counter-agent: Dopamine. The "infinite feed" is engineered to provide variable ratio reinforcement—unpredictable hits of dopamine that temporarily numb the cortisol response.

However, this creates a Homeostatic Imbalance. Your brain downregulates its natural dopamine receptors to handle the flood from the screen, meaning you eventually need more scrolling just to feel normal. You aren't "relaxing"; you are trapped in a Hypo-Arousal State (numbness) to avoid the Hyper-Arousal State (anxiety), completely bypassing the Window of Tolerance where true rest occurs.