We are humans, which means we crave things, including winning the lottery. And when we get what we craved for, we crave for some more, or do you believe you will finally be satisfied once that big win happens?
Our cravings can vary from person to person, and from craving to craving: sometimes we crave an emotion or condition and sometimes we crave a nice bowl of spaghetti. But when it comes to big things, like security and finances, all of us crave it, believing it will bring us happiness. But would winning the lottery really do so?
Human Psyche And Winning The Lottery
To answer that question, we have to dig deeper. Human psyche is still vastly unresearched, but there are a few points behavioral scientists agree on when they are trying to answer why we play lottery and what do we think that winning the lottery will do for us. First of all, it seems as though those of us who play are often notorious optimists.
Interestingly enough, the reason for that optimism comes from the fact that human brain simply isn’t capable to process lottery-sized odds. In other words, that means we will never be fully aware (at least in this point in evolution) how small our chances for winning the lottery are, which consequently makes us irreparable optimists (and also someone who has chances of winning the lottery).
Of course, when you are an optimist, that fact alone leads you to playing, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will find happiness when you reach that goal you craved so much, in this case winning the lottery.
Because it’s the same with lottery as with everything else in life: it won’t bring you happiness, unless you are already happy, in a manner of speaking. Of course, we are talking long-term happiness in this case; nobody disputes that you would probably jump up and down in the exact moment of winning the lottery and be ecstatic in periods of that initial hype.
The Harsh Truth
So although that might sound harsh, we are here to speak the truth: there is no way any such external event can change you in the long run. And that is a fact confirmed through several studies. Sure, it can help you live more securely and debt-free, but don’t expect it to have some kind of a Midas touch, because when the initial thrill wares off, you’ll get accustomed to all of the new things and once again you’ll be the same you as before. You’ll still be you after winning the lottery, just with different sets of worries, unless you change your approach to life, if you think it needs changing. And what that includes is known only to you.
So basically, the verdict (and Catch-22) is this: don’t expect winning the lottery to bring you eternal happiness, and it certainly will. Also, don’t forget that there may be many cons against playing (and winning), but we’ll take a chance for a bit of luck (and happiness) over those cons every time.
Change your course today and start playing. Or the other way around.