But we're on the hedonic treadmill, so the loading/unloading of the dishwasher feels like maximal effort to people who've never lived without one. Same with all the other automations in our lives, people just can't imagine life without refrigeration or plumbing or motor vehicles.

The dish washer neither fills nor empties itself. Personally I'd pay an obscene amount of money to never have to sort my socks again.