The Hidden Chains of Pleasure: How Modern Life Keeps You Enslaved

Picture this: You wake up, roll over, and before you even stretch, your hand is already reaching for your phone. A quick scroll through notifications, a couple of reels, maybe a news headline or two. Suddenly, you realize—boom—40 minutes just disappeared. No alarms, no warnings. Just… gone.

Now, ask yourself—who’s really in control here?

See, we live in a world designed to keep us chasing pleasure. Every app, every advertisement, every bite-sized dopamine hit is engineered to hook us in. And we don’t even notice. It’s like we walked into a casino, but instead of slot machines, it’s TikTok, Netflix, and Amazon. Instead of chips, we’re spending time. And let me tell you—time is the real currency.

Aldous Huxley saw this coming a mile away. In Brave New World, he described a future where people weren’t ruled by force but by pleasure. No need for dictators or bars on the windows—just a constant stream of feel-good distractions. Sound familiar?

Let’s break this down.

The Digital Soma: How We Got Hooked

In Huxley’s dystopia, people were kept in check with a drug called soma—a little pill that erased stress and kept everyone in a permanent state of chill. No rebellions, no discomfort, no growth—just pure, blissed-out compliance.

Now, we don’t pop pills to stay content. We scroll. We binge. We buy. The tools are different, but the effect? Same damn thing.

You ever notice how social media, video games, and streaming platforms all have one thing in common? They never end. There’s always another episode, another notification, another hit of dopamine waiting for you. And the kicker? Psychologists say the anticipation of pleasure actually triggers more dopamine than the pleasure itself. That’s why you keep checking your phone like a lab rat pressing a lever. You’re not addicted to the reward—you’re addicted to the hope of a reward.

And companies know this. Ever heard of “intermittent variable rewards”? That’s the science behind why you check your notifications a hundred times a day, even when there’s nothing there. It’s the same trick that makes slot machines so addictive. Maybe this time, I’ll win something.

But let’s be real—are you actually winning anything?

The Hedonic Treadmill: Why Pleasure is Never Enough

There’s this concept in psychology called the hedonic treadmill—basically, no matter how much pleasure you get, you always return to the same baseline level of happiness.

• Got a new car? Feels amazing. A month later? Meh.
• Got a raise? Life-changing. Six months later? Feels normal.
• Ate the best burger of your life? Incredible. But next week, you’re craving something even better.

The cycle never stops.

Huxley warned about this, but modern psychology has proven it. No matter how much you consume, it will never be enough. That’s why people who have everything—money, fame, success—still feel empty. Because they’re chasing more instead of meaning.

And that’s the real danger. The world tells you, happiness is just one more purchase away. One more night out. One more viral post. One more dopamine hit. But it’s a lie—a treadmill you can never get off.

So, what’s the way out?

The Escape Plan: Choosing Meaning Over Mindless Pleasure

There’s a reason guys like Viktor Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning) and Nietzsche (Beyond Good and Evil) kept saying the same thing: If you don’t have a purpose, you will drown in distractions.

Think about it—when’s the last time you sat in silence? No phone, no music, no entertainment. Just you and your thoughts. Sounds uncomfortable, right? That’s because deep down, we know we’re avoiding something.

But here’s the truth: The most satisfied people aren’t the ones chasing quick pleasure. They’re the ones who choose growth over comfort.

Look at guys like Jocko Willink (Discipline Equals Freedom)—he literally says the path to happiness is discipline. Not instant gratification. Not indulgence. Discipline.

So, how do you break free?

Step 1: Build Friction Into Your Pleasure

Make it harder to access distractions.

• Want to stop doom-scrolling? Delete the apps off your home screen.
• Want to read more? Put your book in your bed, and your phone across the room.
• Want to stop binge-watching? Cancel autoplay.

Small changes force you to be intentional with your time.

Step 2: Find Your ‘Why’

• What are you working towards?
• What skills are you building?
• What legacy do you want to leave?

Without a clear purpose, distractions own you. But when you have something meaningful to chase, those quick dopamine hits feel… kinda lame.

Step 3: Get Comfortable With Discomfort

Every time you choose to delay gratification, you build mental strength.

• Cold showers.
• Waking up early.
• Exercising when you don’t feel like it.
• Doing hard things on purpose.

These little acts train your brain to stop seeking easy pleasure and start craving real progress.

The Final Choice: Stay Hooked or Break Free?

Huxley’s biggest warning wasn’t just about pleasure—it was about control. A world that keeps you constantly entertained is a world that doesn’t want you to think. Because the moment you stop chasing the next distraction, you wake up.

And when you wake up, you realize—you don’t have to play their game.

So ask yourself:

• Are you in control, or are you being controlled?
• Are you spending your time, or are they spending it for you?
• Are you living, or are you just consuming?

The choice is yours, bro. Stay in the loop, or break the cycle.

Real freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want. It’s about having the discipline to do what actually matters.

Choose wisely.