The aim of the first part of this paper is to present the concept of narcocapitalism as an interpretive framework for the analysis of mass phenomena. The second part illustrates the application of this concept in an analysis of Polish society. Laurent de Sutter’s notion of narcocapitalism may be understood as describing a new mechanism of biopolitics, which no longer regulates the quality of life of the masses as Michel Foucault originally assumed, but rather their capacity to meet the demands of the capitalist system oriented toward production. Narcocapitalism does this by normalizing practices involving the use of anesthetic substances, which induce anhedonia, and stimulants, which aim to extend the limits of human productivity. In this way, stimulation and anesthesia, as self-perpetuating mechanisms, permeate everyday life and form the mechanism of the new biopolitics analyzed by Nikolas Rose.
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