Crazy stat:

Crazy stat:
Americans spend more than $100B annually, on the the lottery.

More than books, music, movie tickets, and video games... combined.

Video games: $59.3 billion in 2024
Music: $17.7 billion in 2024
Books: $14.2 billion in 2024
Movies (box office): $8.7 billion in 2024

Crazier stat:
Americans lose more than $1.5T (trillion) annually, on social media.

The math?
240 million US adults on social
× 2.5 hours daily
× 365 days
× $7.25 (minimum wage)
= $1,500,000,000,000 ($1.5T)

Social media is lottery for the brain.

Same drug. Different dealer.

The lottery and social media rely on "intermittent variable rewards".

Both hijack the same neural pathway.
Both deliver unpredictable wins.
Both keep us coming back for more.

One costs money.
One costs time.

It's hard to say which is worse, but the most expensive addition is usually the one that feels free.