That lotto ticket may cost you more than the few bucks you plopped down. Playing the lottery decreases your self-control, says a new report from Johns Hopkins University.
In the study, people who purchased a ticket with a $1 million jackpot were more likely to go for immediate monetary rewards than large, delayed ones compared to people who didn’t ante up.
Why? Playing the odds tends to activate materialistic thoughts, which lowers your willpower and makes you prioritize fast cash, says study author Christian Kim, Ph.D. The obvious answer may be not shelling out in the first place (but where’s the fun in that?).
If you’re feeling lucky and still want to play, science has shown a few weird ways to build your willpower back up. One of them: Swish with something sugary— glucose stimulates simple carbohydrate sensors on your tongue, which can signal motivational centers in your brain that tell your body to pay attention and get back on track, according to recent research from the University of Georgia.
While this is no cure for harder self-control tasks (like giving up cigs or losing those last 10 pounds), it should help in the short-term—i.e. with that shiny, gold iPhone 5S you’re eyeing but maybe don’t need.
If you liked this story, you’ll love these:
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Additional research by Madeline Haller
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