Not only has this sort of experimenting gone on before, I don't doubt for a moment that it's been perfected. Look at how people are being controlled by their smart phones. Try to talk to a person who's staring at their phone. When you get their attention, it's almost like you brought them out of a hypnotic trance. They started with drugs and torture, moved on to television and learned helplessness through the media, and are continuing with constant, dopamine stimulation through social media. Granted, that's just a theory... But it makes a lot of sense.