Psychologists from the Top Doctors Group have explained what factors emotional, social bond and other psychological aspects such as the anticipatory anxiety of thinking about the possibility that a number that is not available could be touched are the factors that make people buy tenths of Christmas lottery compulsively.
“We play the lottery at Christmas because hope is the engine that moves the world, although also by tradition. And the lottery is already part of the Christmas image at the same level as the pollorones or the prawns, and, perhaps ultimately instance, because the game is linked to obtaining immediate pleasure, releases dopamine and in the short term it gives us a rush,” said psychology specialist Irene Giménez, from the Institut Dra. Natalia Ribé and member of Grupo Top Doctors.
Giménez has thus assured that the reasons that lead to buying the lottery on these dates They are “always emotional” and “not very rational” because if it were analyzed from a probabilistic point of view, no one would play. In this sense, on the eve of the draw on December 22, the most heard tagline is the typical “What if it’s time?”, which leads to anticipatory anxiety about which the specialist indicates that it is a “fear of something that does not exist or is not going to happen.
For his part, psychiatrist Sergio Oliveros Calvo has pointed out that “today we have other lotteries that offer much larger prizes and, however, lack the rituals and social effects that the Christmas lottery causes. Regarding this draw there are a thousand superstitions that pressure us to play.
Along these lines, he highlighted that it is common share the tenths among family, co-workers or friends“due to the magical belief that this increases the probability of success” and that this also leads to many people being forced to participate in the lottery due to group pressure and not knowing how to refuse it.
Christmas Lottery Player Profile
Although in Spain the number of people diagnosed with gambling addictionthis problem still lacks effective detection and so far it is known that affects 1% of the population of the country.
However, experts have commented that the profile of the Christmas Lottery in general differs greatly from having gambling problems. “The gambler looks for situations with a higher perceived risk/benefit ratio and in which he can have some control; the Christmas gambler, on the other hand, looks for social conformitycohesion with the group and their adherence to deep-rooted customs,” stated Oliveros.
Thus, the Christmas Lottery player is part of all social classes and sexeswhile the age of introduction to this practice usually coincides with access to the world of work. Likewise, professionals agree that young people seem to be more interested in participating in the Christmas Lottery purchase due to the increase in tribal behaviors (group ties) between them.
What happens after December 22?
After the draw, if you have not won a prize, people “come down from the balloon” and they return to thinking rationally that “it was unlikely” that it would happen and that ‘at least they are healthy’, although there are people who continue with ‘magical thinking’ and believe that they have not been blessed by ideas such as that ‘ The number was not good,’ said Irene Giménez.
On the contrary, if there is luck and there is a winning tenth, Giménez has commented that you should be grateful for the things that will be able to be done from now on and give ourselves room to adapt to this new reality.
The winners are involved in a feeling of satisfaction, euphoria and joywhich become deeper three days after the draw, when one begins to emerge from a state of derealization. Experts have recommended that the result not be disseminated, and that one continue for a while with one’s personal and professional life as it was until now.