In 1951, the Defense Research Board of Canada commissioned a group of psychologists from McGill University to investigate the effects of exposure to monotonous environments. To understand why aviators and other military personal in charge of security suffered hallucinations during prolonged and repetitive tasks, male college students were recruited and paid $20 per day to lay isolated on a bed in a lit cubicle 24 hours a day, for as long as they could endure. The volunteers rested during meals, served on the same space, and only left for guided visits to the lavatories.Footnote¹