Gambling is one of the oldest vices in the world, which has been present among humanity since history remembers. We all know many stories about people who got over their heads because of their gambling addictions. According to several studies that were published in the last couple of decades, gambling has a massive influence on the human brain. Moreover, gambling makes people more prone to anxiety and depression. This was the newest research that had the conclusion that we could get a new treatment for curing the gambling addiction. This treatment would be a mix of psychological and drugs. Effects on an addict family’s life and financial status are well known and we can see why it is of the utmost importance for this addiction to be cured.
One of the commonest ways gambling is practiced are slot machines. Just think about it, how many times have you entered a casino or a small betting office, and you didn’t see any slot machine? Well, you didn’t see that, we guarantee it. At the same time, there are a plethora of slot machine games that emerged over the years. There are so many of them that we don’t even begin to count. At the same time, developers of slot machines started inventing new storylines for their slot machines. With the advent of video slots, everything changed. Games became more enthralling with narratives videos and bonus rounds. Let us see how playing slot machines affects the mental health of a person that participates in a game.
Contents
Why Are They So Addictive?
Source: thesouthern
We already know that slot machines are the commonest casino games by far. This is not without a reason. They are easy to play and without any doubt easy to understand. Even though many casinos are focusing on games like baccarat or roulette, slot machines are located right near them. At the same time, these games require a certain level of knowledge about the game in order to participate. Slot machines are far from that level. One more thing that is important to know about slot machines is that players are going to be offered some kind of bonuses, game variations, payout percentages, jackpots, etc. The calculation is pretty simple. You are getting all of the content that keeps you occupied and you don’t have to invest time to learn the game. Moreover, slots are so popular that we can even find at online casinos.
Slot Machine Positive Effect on Mental Health
Source: verywellmind
Even though slots have a massive negative effect on mental health, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have positive sides. For example, people who invest themselves really hard into studying the game they are participating in, are going to improve their focus. Don’t get us wrong, slots are machines that can’t be learned and the player can’t predict the outcome. This is something entirely different from games like baccarat and poker, where you have other players that you can study in terms of behavior and strategy.
A person who knows to walk the fine line of budget limitation and not having high expectations from slot machines can really benefit from the experience. As we said, focus improvement is one thing that can have a really positive effect on a person’s mental health because this is something that could be used in everyday life. Analyzing all of the obstacles and problems in order to get the best possible outcome can hardly be considered a bad thing.
Slot Machine’s Negative Effects on Mental Health
Source: vox
Slot machines have a characteristic of occupying player’s attention for too long. Naturally, with all of the content displayed before the player’s eyes, we are not surprised. Slots influences players to fall into a state known as dark flow. This is a state where a person forgets everything around him and stays within a flow of the game and they spend more money than they originally intended to. One of the symptoms of this state is that player is feeling relaxed while playing. So, the logical conclusion would be that slot machines have a bigger effect on people who already face depression and anxiety in their everyday life.
The study we talked about earlier concluded that the combination of dark flow and anxiety is a key to gambling addiction in a person. Now we are going to provide you with negative effects of slot machines in greater detail.
What Are Particular Negative Effects of Slots?
Source: Casino
There are two main negative effects that slots have on a person’s mental health, anxiety, and depression. There are several things that people report while they are in these states.
Anxiety
- Not being able to relax
- A constant sense of dread and uneasiness
- Feeling unrealistic looks of other people
- Worrying about things that not yet happened
- Constant worry about something
- Rethinking bad situations over and over again
Depression
- Numbness
- Feeling worthless
- Being tearful
- Suicidality
- No self-esteem or self-confidence
- Isolation from the surrounding
Are There Alternatives?
Source: cleveland
For a high majority of people, playing slots is far more about escapism than entertainment. Naturally, people who are not satisfied with their everyday life could search for some kind of exit. This is where slot machines are coming up to the stage. As we said earlier, slot machine means isolation, which is not the case with other casino games where you have other players around you. Moreover, some people think that playing poker for instance, as a great way of socialization and playing an entertaining and competitive game at the same time.
When it comes to the question are there any healthier alternatives to slot machines, we say yes. This doesn’t mean that you should participate in some other game that you don’t have any knowledge of. Our recommendation is that you should invest your time and energy in a more productive thing. Moreover, spending time with your family and friend will do you much better than playing slots.
Last Thoughts
We’ve presented you with some effects that playing slot machines have on your mental health. Naturally, there are both good and bad sides of playing these. However, we mentioned a fine line that you must walk on. We truly believe that this is the crucial thing that separates good and bad effects on a person’s mental health.
