Why People Gamble
Gambling is an instinct inherent in all of us. We all gamble. Even if you have never placed a bet in your life, you are still a gambler. Don’t believe it? Let’s see. Have you ever supported a sports team or a cause? Anything at all? And felt a rush of satisfaction when the people you were backing won. And a sense of sadness when they lost? That means you were betting. Maybe not with money, but with something even more valuable - you were betting with your faith and beliefs.
It’s very simple. Human beings need to be involved with things we care about. This applies to everything from choosing the right breakfast cereal to choosing a president for the country. It important because it matters to you and getting the right cereal and the right president can make your life better.
But you don’t get so involved when it’s about choosing the Prime Minister of Australia. It doesn’t matter as much to you. So the outcome of the elections there does not give you as much joy or sorrow.
But why should this matter? It matters because humans are, by nature conditioned to get involved and seek satisfaction in winning or supporting a winner. That is what makes us different from all other creatures. Other animals contest with each other over food, living area and material benefits. Only humans have a psychological make up that includes and Ego and an ID that derives satisfaction from winning that goes beyond the need to survive. The more we win, the happier we are.
That’s why so many of us gamble with money. The minute we bet money on an outcome, we are involving ourselves in the contest. In a horse race, there are a limited number of horses and jockeys running, so a limited number of humans have a direct involvement. But watch the people when the race is on - those whose horses are doing well are excited and those whose horses are doing badly are desperate for them to do better. That’s because the horses’ victory or loss is theirs - because of the money they bet. Of course not everyone bets at the races. Those are the people you see who are quiet and seem to be uninvolved in the proceedings.
There’s nothing wrong with gambling. It fulfills our need to be involved in even an indirect form. The bet you place on a roulette wheel makes that little white ball a part of you. When you bet you are stepping outside the safe routine of your life and involving yourself in the adventure of taking a chance.
We all crave excitement of some kind. Very few, if any, of us can live an Indiana Jones lifestyle. But we can pit ourselves safely against others (playing poker) or take part in a big adventure along with others (buying a lottery ticket). Scientific tests have shown that a poker players adrenalin levels go up when he has a good hand or even when he’s bluffing with a bad one. The same applies to people who buy lottery tickets and watch the draw on TV. Their adrenalin levels rise as the draw is being conducted.
Adrenalin boosts you metabolism and gives you a safe and natural “high.” That’s something we all crave. And the one of the most common ways of getting this “high” is the emotion that comes when we are involved in an activity and where the outcome affects us. In most of us, our bodies regulate our desire for this excitement and keep it in reasonable limits. But occasionally the regulation mechanism short circuits. That’s when the need for the excitement of gambling gets uncontrolled and passes all safe limits. That’s when you become a gambling addict.
Gambling is a way for us to be safe and yet part of an adventure where the outcome is unknown. As long as it is kept under control and within limits and we do not bet - in money terms - more than we can afford, it is a safe outlet for all the tension that builds up in us. Even losing is not bad. At least you took part in the adventure.
So you say you have never placed a bet in your life? I bet you are wrong!
Author’s Note: This article also published here.
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This article was written by gambling pro Skyler Ace. Warning: Do Not Gamble Another Dollar Online Until You Read This. Free Consumer Awareness Guide Reveals The Seven Deadly Mistakes All Gamblers Make: http://www.jobsource20-23.com/casclok.html Also feel free to visit our gambling blog for tons of winning tips: http://onlinegambling23.blogspot.com/
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