There is an interesting contradiction.
There is a sense in which we seem to dislike uncertainty. We spend an enormous amount of mental energy trying to make uncertainty feel more predictable. And yet, we enjoy gambling.
Why is that?
Uncertainty can be uncomfortable, but it can also create anticipation.
When we already know what will happen, there is little left to discover. But when the outcome is unresolved, the mind has something to wait for.
Games of chance are built around a simple and powerful emotional sequence:
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I don’t know what will happen → I wait → I find out.
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We make a choice, put something at stake, and then wait for an uncertain outcome to resolve.
This waiting period is important. For a short moment, several futures are still possible. The appeal of gambling is not only the final result, but also the suspense before the result is revealed.
In fact, evidence suggests that it is not money that drives gambling, but the activity of gambling itself. We tend play for the sake of playing, rather than for the sake of winning, and “monetary wins are conceived as the opportunity to extend the duration of play, rather than the game's main objective.” [1]
A slot machine spin, for example, is not experienced only at the moment of outcome. It is experienced across the whole sequence: you press the button, the reels start moving, the symbols slow down, and the final result gradually appears.
In games of chance, we participate in uncertainty. We do not know what will happen, but we are emotionally involved in finding out.
The uncertainty is part of the game.
Another reason games of chance are engaging is that they are built around possible rewards.
The brain’s reward system is not only involved when we actually receive a reward. It is also involved in anticipating rewards, responding to cues, and learning from the difference between what we expected and what actually happened. [2]
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The brain’s reward system is not only involved when we actually receive a reward. It is also involved in anticipating rewards.
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Dopamine is often discussed in this context. It is involved in motivation, reward anticipation, and reward learning, and helps the brain respond to the possibility that something rewarding might happen. [2]
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Uncertainty is motivating.
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