Dopamine Sites Sell Nothing, and People Cannot Get Enough

Products that don’t exist. Meal deliveries that will never make it to the front door. Smoke breaks lacking the most important ingredient. All this and more—or is it less?—is available on so-called dopamine sites, which offer nothing tangible and yet have somehow become wildly popular as people navigate a digital landscape that cultivates consumption. Named for the brain chemical associated with reward seeking, the sites simulate experiences like online shopping that can generate good feelings. In doing so, proponents say, they may subvert the habits of people conditioned to buy and consume. And the prices can’t be beat, since they are the same as the product lines: nonexistent.