As the New Year approaches, long queues have started to form in front of lottery dealers. The 80 million TL prize increased expectations and interest. Experts say that although ticket buyers know that the probability of winning is very low, they buy tickets by acting with a sense of pleasure.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz made evaluations on addiction to games of chance before the new year.
Excessive self-confidence and needs lead to addiction
Stating that after addiction develops, the region in the brain that analyzes risk is deactivated, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "In this case, the brain believes that it will only win and emotional play takes place with the desire to compensate. The brain's think and do network cannot be active enough in this process. Individuals addicted to games of chance, which get out of control with the increase in dopamine levels, continue to play even though they know that they are harmed. This is one of the factors that show that they are addicted. We can consider their beliefs about themselves and their needs as the most fundamental factors. If an individual believes that he/she is lucky or smart, if he/she says 'I know for sure or I have calculated well, it is not possible for me not to win', it is inevitable that he/she continues to play the game considering his/her basic needs. Moreover, if there are times when they win, they start to create prophecies."
The lucky ones are less anxious
Stating that there is a reward and punishment center in the brain and that this center is also called the addiction center, Eryılmaz continued his words as follows "This center gives people pleasure and when the brain goes through this pleasure, it leads to addiction. We see that those who win big prizes lose everything in a few years. Risks become unassessable. There is an experiment between people who think they are lucky and those who don't. Lucky and unlucky people were gathered in a laboratory and analyzed. The common characteristics of the lucky ones were revealed. There are important findings that these people are less anxious, more open to innovation and more confident."
The children they called lucky eventually became addicts
Speaking about a case that occurred in a family she knows and has a client, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "This family has been buying tickets from the National Lottery every month for many years, but they cannot win any jackpot. After three daughters, they had another child and the father won the jackpot that day. When a boy was born, family members referred to the boy as bringing us luck. Then the father starts to have his son draw all the tickets he plays for his son, who he thinks is lucky. Sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses. There is an installation in the child's brain about being lucky, but this is not the reality. They ignore what they don't win and emphasize what they do win, and this continues for many years. Over time, the games of chance played by the young person increase and he/she applies to us as a gambling addict."
There are three different dimensions of luck
Stating that luck is generally described as a surprise that occurs unexpectedly, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "Luck has many dimensions. It can be evaluated in psychological, biological, social and even economic dimensions. The world mostly focuses on its biological and psychological dimension."
