R0024/2026-03-25/Q003
Query: What is the published research on dopamine-driven engagement loops in AI chatbot interactions? Is there evidence that sycophantic, affirming AI responses create addictive usage patterns similar to social media?
BLUF: Published research at major venues (CHI 2025, IJHCI) identifies sycophantic/agreeable AI responses as one of four "dark addiction patterns" that create addictive usage similar to social media. Three addiction types have been characterized (escapist roleplay, pseudosocial companion, epistemic rabbit hole) with sycophancy contributing to each. However, the "dopamine-driven" characterization is theoretically inferred from social media neuroscience research — no study has directly measured dopamine levels during AI chatbot interactions.
Answer: H3 (Emerging research with limitations) · Confidence: Medium
Summary
| Entity |
Description |
| Query Definition |
Question as received, clarified, ambiguities, sub-questions |
| Assessment |
Full analytical product |
| ACH Matrix |
Evidence x hypotheses diagnosticity analysis |
| Self-Audit |
ROBIS-adapted 4-domain process audit |
Hypotheses
| ID |
Statement |
Status |
| H1 |
Substantial published research exists |
Partially supported |
| H2 |
Research is lacking |
Eliminated |
| H3 |
Emerging research with limitations |
Supported |
Key Studies
| Study |
Venue |
Methodology |
Key Finding |
| Shen & Yoon (2025) |
CHI 2025 |
Interface analysis |
4 dark addiction patterns including sycophantic responses |
| Shen et al. (2025) |
arXiv |
Thematic analysis (N=334) |
3 addiction types; agreeableness as contributing factor |
| Zhang et al. (2025) |
IJHCI |
Survey |
Chatbot dependence correlates with mental health outcomes |
| Fang et al. (2025) |
arXiv |
Longitudinal RCT |
Psychosocial effects of chatbot use |
Searches
| ID |
Target |
Type |
Outcome |
| S01 |
Dopamine engagement loops in AI chatbots |
WebSearch |
2 selected, 8 rejected |
| S02 |
AI chatbot addiction research synthesis |
WebFetch |
2 selected, 0 rejected |
Sources
| Source |
Description |
Reliability |
Relevance |
Evidence |
| SRC01 |
CHI 2025 dark addiction patterns |
High |
High |
1 extract |
| SRC02 |
AI Genie phenomenon study |
Medium-High |
High |
1 extract |
| SRC03 |
Tech Policy Press research synthesis |
Medium-High |
High |
1 extract |
| SRC04 |
ELIZA effect and dopamine loops |
Medium |
High |
1 extract |
Revisit Triggers
- Publication of fMRI or PET scan studies measuring dopamine during AI chatbot use
- Clinical diagnostic criteria established for AI chatbot addiction
- Large-scale epidemiological studies on AI chatbot addiction prevalence
- Controlled experiments isolating sycophancy as an independent addiction variable