In the near future of a dark world, the JoyCom Corporation sells mood bracelets that help people regulate emotions—inducing joy and happiness in place of sadness and despair.
Feeling blue? A Joy Jolt is a button press away. Having a bad day? A Happy Hit will do the trick. You pay as you go; an instant debit from your account buys an instant high of elation. You buy as much as you need whenever you need it. And the more you use, the more you need.
The bracelet replaces the desire for mood-altering substances like alcohol and drugs. Smoking and vaping fall out of vogue in favor of a haze of euphoric bliss. People trade one addiction for another, getting high on happiness and staying high all day long.
Stocks of the company soar to the stratosphere as JoyCom becomes the world’s most valuable firm, earning massive profits selling the most potent consumable ever created.
It’s a win-win for everyone, they say. It’s meeting a basic human need, they say. And who’s to say otherwise? Who knew that the commodification of happiness could be so insanely addictive — and profitable!
