“You know how Vegas doesn’t seem to be slowing down?” is an image I bring to people’s minds when teaching about how drawn we are to intermittent rewards. This past week, an individual in my office desperately wanted to understand why they cheated on their partner and struggled to stop. “I love the sneakiness, the adrenaline, the getting away with it,” they told me, bringing to my mind a 7-7-7 spin on the wheel—the big payoff.
But what about the consequences, I asked. “There aren’t any.”
Interesting, I thought, knowing how guilty they felt the day their partner found out, and their fear of the loss of other relationships and their self-respect. Weren’t those consequences enough? But because of the go-go-go game the person’s brain was shackled to they couldn’t recognize the pattern.
My favorite computer test given at a psychological practice where I worked was the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The test taker clicked on four decks – A, B, C, & D – knowing that some decks were better or worse than others, but that the goal was simple; to make money.
The consistent B and C decks were the winners, a consistently small reward, or small cost. The A & D decks, however, gave the big payoff but also hit you smack in the face with a huge loss. As I’m sure you guessed, the people who continually went back to the A & D decks lost money. And let me tell you, there were plenty of people who owed lots of money at the end.
When analyzing the IGT’s data, a significant difference between the losers and winners came from the rate at which they clicked the cards. Although, at times, it was only a fraction of a second difference, those who saw the pattern, did so at a slower rate, allowing their frontal cortex to engage. If you’re interested in going deeper into this the books “Thinking, Fast and Slow” and “Risk Savvy” can good ones.
On other things, our heat is out. Yesterday, I was hopeful that wasn’t the case, but shortly after the relief of it turning it on, fifteen minutes passed, and it shut down. So up goes the portable electric fireplace into our bedroom at night and lugged down to the main floor during the day. I’m ok with it as long as we can keep it above 65; a sweatshirt and beanie will suffice.
With Evelyn at her grandparents, Dave and I are enjoying a night off of parenting. With some of my free time, I rearranged the refrigerator, making it into a salad bar filled with greens, beets, chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs, homemade Caesar and ranch dressing, artichoke hearts, those cute little corns, cut-up cheeses, meats, and much, much more. I got the idea after seeing a Pinterest photo of a veggie-filled fridge and being jealous after not finding anything readily healthy to eat. Fixed that, didn’t I?!
Alright, I better get to watching a show with Dave. Love, Jaclynn
Going On 40 