Aug 15, 2018 06:31 PM
https://theconversation.com/designed-to-...rain-91052
EXCERPT: . . . As an addiction researcher for the past 15 years, I look to the brain to understand the hooks that make gambling so compelling.
[...] Dopamine, the neurotransmitter the brain releases during enjoyable activities such as eating, sex and drugs, is also released during situations where the reward is uncertain. In fact dopamine release increases particularly during the moments leading up to a potential reward. This anticipation effect might explain why dopamine release parallels an individual’s levels of gambling “high” and the severity of his or her gambling addiction. It likely also plays a role in reinforcing the risk-taking behavior seen in gambling. Studies have shown that the release of dopamine during gambling occurs in brain areas similar to those activated by taking drugs of abuse. [...] Counterintuitively, in individuals with a gambling problem, losing money comes to trigger the rewarding release of dopamine almost to the same degree that winning does.
[...] Studies suggest that these lights and sounds [of casinos] become more attractive and capable of triggering urges to play when they are paired with reward uncertainty.
[...] multi-line slot machines produce more enjoyment and are highly preferred by players. Crucially, they tend to make gamblers overestimate how often they’re truly winning. [...] more arousal and activation of reward pathways in the brain, possibly accelerating the rate at which brain changes occur. Multi-line slots also seem to promote the development of “dark flow,” a trance-like state in which players get wholly absorbed in the game, sometimes for hours on end.
[...] When you engage in recreational gambling, you are not simply playing against the odds, but also battling an enemy trained in the art of deceit and subterfuge. Games of chance have a vested interest in hooking players for longer and letting them eventually walk away with the impression they did better than chance, fostering a false impression of skill....
MORE: https://theconversation.com/designed-to-...rain-91052
EXCERPT: . . . As an addiction researcher for the past 15 years, I look to the brain to understand the hooks that make gambling so compelling.
[...] Dopamine, the neurotransmitter the brain releases during enjoyable activities such as eating, sex and drugs, is also released during situations where the reward is uncertain. In fact dopamine release increases particularly during the moments leading up to a potential reward. This anticipation effect might explain why dopamine release parallels an individual’s levels of gambling “high” and the severity of his or her gambling addiction. It likely also plays a role in reinforcing the risk-taking behavior seen in gambling. Studies have shown that the release of dopamine during gambling occurs in brain areas similar to those activated by taking drugs of abuse. [...] Counterintuitively, in individuals with a gambling problem, losing money comes to trigger the rewarding release of dopamine almost to the same degree that winning does.
[...] Studies suggest that these lights and sounds [of casinos] become more attractive and capable of triggering urges to play when they are paired with reward uncertainty.
[...] multi-line slot machines produce more enjoyment and are highly preferred by players. Crucially, they tend to make gamblers overestimate how often they’re truly winning. [...] more arousal and activation of reward pathways in the brain, possibly accelerating the rate at which brain changes occur. Multi-line slots also seem to promote the development of “dark flow,” a trance-like state in which players get wholly absorbed in the game, sometimes for hours on end.
[...] When you engage in recreational gambling, you are not simply playing against the odds, but also battling an enemy trained in the art of deceit and subterfuge. Games of chance have a vested interest in hooking players for longer and letting them eventually walk away with the impression they did better than chance, fostering a false impression of skill....
MORE: https://theconversation.com/designed-to-...rain-91052
