Why is slot machine gambling so addictive? Why is it coined the "crack cocaine of addiction"? Why is slot machine gambling considered to be the MOST addictive form of gambling that exists today?
I will try to answer these questions in this article. The questions are quite significant, and the answers can help to explain why so many people have gotten hooked on the "slots", "pokies", and "fruit machines".
Slot machines use what is known to psychological behaviorists as "intermittent reinforcement" Basically, what this means is that a winning hand on a slot machine only happens sometimes.
This type of reinforcement is known to be very powerful because an individual is only rewarded at certain intervals. This can create an addictive reaction , resulting obsession quite easily. When you reward only sometimes., it is sure to create an obsessive reaction.
In addition, studies have shown that the neurotransmitter dopamine plays an important role in developing a gambling addiction. Dopamine is known as the "feel good" chemical. The illusions of patterns in slot machines, and the intermittent winning spins create a rush of dopamine in the brain that makes people desire continued play.
You have probably heard in the past that gambling addicts are "addicted to the action"and not really as interested in winning money like they may think they are. This is because the dopamine rush is so powerful and pleasurable, that the action of gambling becomes euphoric in its' own right. It is a means it itself rather than a means to an end.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
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