On: Layoffs Taboo, Japan Workers Are Sent to the Boredom Room (2013)

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Depending on who you ask, it's one or more of:

1) So that the "free articles this month" counter doesn't decrement for stories you don't actually read.

2) So that they get metrics on which articles people actually read vs. loading in a tab and forgetting about.

3) Forcing an interaction manipulates your psychology so that you pay more attention to the page, increasing engagement.