This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gibson, B. Articles by Sanbonmatsu, D. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gibson, B. Articles by Sanbonmatsu, D. M. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Optimism, Pessimism, and Gambling: The Downside of Optimism

Central Michigan University

David M. Sanbonmatsu

University of Utah

Three studies examined the relation between dispositional optimism and gambling. In Study 1, optimists were more likely than pessimists to have positive gambling expectations and report maintaining these expectations following losses. They also were more likely to indicate that winning money was a primary motivation for their gambling. Study 2 demonstrated that pessimists but not optimists reduce their betting and expectations after poor gaming performance. Study 3 replicated this effect using a more controlled experiment and showed that after losing, optimists report remembering more near wins than do pessimists. Thus, all three studies suggest that optimists, more than pessimists, maintain positive expectations and continue gambling after experiencing negative gaming outcomes. The authors suggest that despite optimism’s many benefits, there are common situations in which the pessimistic tendency to disengage is beneficial.

Key Words: optimism • pessimism • gambling • Life Orientation Test

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?