In the game Civilization: Call to Power, there was a unit called a "Neural Ad" that worked by broadcasting insidious advertisements for nonexistent products, making opposing peoples unhappy thanks to their insatiable want for these products. I first found this idea absurd and obviously flawed. Having read that article, though, I'm not so sure anymore...

That's an interesting link. I'd like to see some data on whether the effect is stronger on people whose lives are worse, or who are already less happy.

Before checking your link, I'd already thought of the Avatar-lovers. I've somehow avoided the feeling entirely in spite of spending over my life many thousands of hours enjoying escaping-via-fiction. The closest I've felt to it is the single day of waking from a nice lucid-dream adventure (a rare event for me).