THE ABSURDITY INDEX
QUANTIFYING THE ABSURDITY OF MODERN EXISTENCE
"One must imagine Sisyphus checking his email"
— Albert Camus-ish
Current Absurdity Level
0.00*
"ICARUS HAS ENTERED THE CHAT"
0%
8 METRICS | FEB 2026 | UPDATED WEEKLY
* Equal-weight average · See methodology for details
What Healthcare?
↑50.78
"Prior Authorization Purgatory"
KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation): Premium increase d..
U.S. Census Bureau: Medical debt and bankruptcy st..
JAMA Network: Claim denial rates and prior authori..
159 entries
February 2, 2026
AI Psychosis
↑35.45
"Digital Stockholm Syndrome Setting In"
YouTube: 135 videos analyzing AI companion usage a..
Reddit: 289 posts from r/replika, r/CharacterAI, r..
TikTok: 105 videos via YouTube compilations
105 entries
February 2, 2026
Subscription Overload
↑41.66
"Forgot What I'm Paying For"
Consumer Reports: Average 12 subscriptions per hou..
Streaming service pricing data: All major platform..
Google Trends: Subscription fatigue search volume
242 entries
February 2, 2026
Wage Stagnation
↑42.79
"Living Paycheck to Paycheck"
BLS Employment Cost Index: Real wage growth data
AFL-CIO CEO Pay Database: 285:1 CEO-to-worker pay ..
Google Trends: Financial stress search volume
191 entries
February 2, 2026
Housing Despair
↑43.74
"Multiple Organs Required"
Redfin: Median home price $383,725
Zillow Rent Index: $2,000/month median rent
Census Bureau: Gen Z rent burden data (37.6%)
213 entries
February 2, 2026
Airline Chaos
↑38.45
"Delays Are The New Normal"
Bureau of Transportation Statistics: 22% flight de..
ACSI satisfaction scores: Declining airline servic..
FAA safety incident data: Emergency landings, equi..
82 entries
February 2, 2026
Dating App Despair
↑30.83
"Swiping Through The Void"
Pew Research: 45% frustrated, 79% burnout among da..
Google Trends: Dating app search volume
App store sentiment: Initial analysis
189 entries
February 2, 2026
Layoff Watch
↑56.99
"Layoff Roulette Daily Anxiety"
Layoffs.fyi: 152,922 tech workers laid off in 2025
551 companies reported layoffs
YouTube: 74 videos about layoffs and job search st..
169 entries
February 2, 2026