The Midas Comfort Curse: Why Everything Easy Feels Empty

Someone asked me yesterday: "How was your weekend?"

My mind went completely blank.

Not because nothing happened. But because everything felt like a blur. 

Scrolling. Ordering food with a tap. Binge-watching something I can't even remember. 

The kind of weekend that technically contained 48 hours but somehow felt like it lasted 20 minutes.

I’m not alone in this strange emptiness.

I hear it online and in person.

"Everything feels fast, shallow, pointless."

"Things are moving, but nothing matters."

You're not broken. You're not addicted to your phone.

You're experiencing what I call the Midas Comfort Curse.

Everything we touch turns to "easy mode" and paradoxically, nothing feels real anymore.

The Golden Touch That Starved a King

Remember King Midas? Mythical Greek guy loved wealth, wine, and fun. Got one wish from the gods and asked for everything he touched to turn to gold.

At first? Magic. Instant wealth everywhere.

Then dinnertime arrived.

His wine turned to gold. His food became metal. When his daughter ran to hug him, she became a lifeless golden statue.

His desire for abundance made everything empty.

We got the same wish.

Food delivery, entertainment, shopping, dating, and now with the help of AI thinking. Everything at the tap of a button.

All this convenience came at a devastating psychological cost.

What the Curse Is Doing to Your Brain

Dopamine Death

We think dopamine is like confetti, firing when we get what we want. But it's actually a starter pistol, firing before we reach our goal to motivate us toward it.

The more uncertain the outcome, the louder the bang. The more dopamine.

If your goal is guaranteed? No dopamine needed. The thrill fades.

Fifteen years ago, I waited days for Netflix DVDs to arrive in the mail. Anticipation. Excitement. Counting down. Even crappy movies felt good to receive.

Now thousands of options sit at my fingertips, but I never get that pleasurable hit I used to get from my mail-order DVD.

No gap between want and get = no reward sensation.

Choice Overwhelm

Having a massive marketplace at your fingertips destroys your willpower through decision fatigue.

Your brain treats every choice like a small workout. By noon, you're mentally exhausted.

Think about your great-grandparents. Maybe three career choices in their town. You? Unlimited possibilities, total paralysis.

More choice was supposed to make us happier. Instead, it made us exhausted. And the more exhausted you are, the worse decisions you make. 

The Death of Making

The IKEA effect occurs when people value things more when they build them. Even wobbly, objectively worse bookshelves feel more meaningful when you assemble them yourself.

Your brain is wired to find meaning through struggle, friction, the satisfaction of creating something with your hands.

But now? Everything arrives pre-built, pre-thought, pre-done.

Food comes pre-made. Entertainment is pre-selected by algorithms. Photos are pre-filtered. Text messages are pre-suggested by AI.

We've outsourced creation itself.

When everything is instant, nothing feels real. When everything is effortless, nothing feels worth it.

You're not lazy. You're experiencing the psychological cost of convenience abundance.

Breaking the Curse: The 4-Box Solution

People like Jonathan Haidt say "ban the phones." That doesn't work. Can't undo Pandora's box.

Others suggest monk mode, deleting apps, turning screens monochrome. Fine, but not enough.

Rule #1 of behavior therapy: Don't just tell people what NOT to do. Give them something TO do.

We need something that resets dopamine, narrows daily choices, and takes meaningful time.

There's a word for this: hobby.

But not just any hobby. Not side-hustles. Not content creation. Something you're doing purely for yourself.

The most effective hobbies check four boxes:

1. Absorbs Your Mind

Your experience meets the challenge of the task. You think without overthinking. Something that starts easy but can scale up in difficulty (maybe for your whole life).

2. Moves Your Body

Dopamine loves movement. Doesn't have to be exercise. Can be simple as moving your hands while creating.

3. Phone-Proof by Design

Flour-covered hands can't swipe. Clay-stained fingers can't scroll. Choose activities that physically block digital distraction.

4. Comes With a Tribe

The best hobbies have communities. Reddit forums, local groups, real humans making real connections.

Pure Play, Zero Productivity Theater

I researched what Gen Z is actually doing for hobbies. The most interesting ones have zero optimization pressure:

• Bug collecting
• Growing carnivorous plants
• Vintage vinyl hunting

Pure play. Zero productivity theater. No side-hustle energy. 

This creates a dopamine reset. Once momentum builds, you'll crave hobby time instead of TikTok.

I thought writing fiction would be my hobby. But over the past few months, it triggered too much optimization pressure (probably because I write stuff like this). 

I picked up gourmet popcorn-making instead. My family devours it, I forget my phone exists.

But I can’t do that every day. So I'm expanding to cooking. It absorbs my mind (I don’t want to burn down the house), moves my body (grocery store, kitchen), can't scroll while doing it (again, don’t burn the house), and has amazing communities (especially South Asian cooking, which I want to explore).

Your Move

Pick ONE hands-busy hobby:

Self-expression: Drawing, photography, music, stop-motion videos 

Collecting: Vinyl, cassettes, vintage tech 

Activities:Gym, birdwatching, model railroads

Crafts: Woodworking, embroidery, bonsai, sourdough 

Role-playing: D&D, tabletop games, paintball 

Random skills:Lock-picking, magic tricks, ham radio, new languages

Notice something? None are monetized. No audiences to build. Just you, your mindbody, and something worth pursuing.

The challenge: 30 minutes a night, 7 nights straight. Do it badly. See what it's like. Let curiosity guide you.

This isn't utopian Star Trek "better yourself" advice. It's hardcore dopamine rehabilitation.

Your brain isn't broken. It's longing for a slower world. The best engineering minds, guided by the worst business incentives, are working to harvest your attention.

We have to relearn how to put our attention where it really matters.

Not on Amazon Prime or the AI slop Netflix pumps out or the junk Instagram shoves in your face.

Let's break this curse today. 

One small action. 

One small reset.

What hobby calls to your curiosity? What would you try if no one was watching?

Boldly go,

Dr. Ali

P.S. I promise to cheer you on and share how my cooking journey unfolds. The dopamine reset is real and it starts tonight.