I don't think they were trying to solve anything, per se. Rather it was an information-gathering experiment: "I wanted to see if I had the willpower to cut off all stimulation for an extended period of time." How bad is my addiction?

They conclude: "Either way, I’m glad I did it. I guess I’m not so hopelessly addicted to short term stimulation that I can’t deprive myself of it for a longish period of time."

And set up a plan for the next experiment: "I’m pretty tired of sitting in rooms doing nothing, so my next experiments will be more exciting. I promise."

Going from one extreme (everything allowed) to another (nothing allowed), to try to find some happy medium that makes them happy with themselves. No one was hurt, nothing bad happened, they're just playing around with the idea and reporting what happened.