Abstract
This study investigated responses to near-wins (i.e., nonwin outcomes that were close to a major win, and their counterpart, near-losses (nonwin outcomes that are proximal to a major loss) in a decision-making task, measuring (a) luck ratings, (b) adjustment of bet amount, and (c) facial muscle reactivity at zygomaticus and corrugator sites. Compared to full-misses, near-wins decreased self-perceived luck and near-losses increased self-perceived luck, consistent with the effects of upward versus downward counterfactual thinking, respectively. Wins and losses both increased zygomaticus reactivity, and losses selectively enhanced corrugator reactivity. Near-wins heightened zygomaticus activity, but did not affect corrugator activity, thus showing a similar response pattern to actual wins. There were no significant facial EMG effects of near-losses. We infer that near-wins engender some appetitive processing, despite their objective nonwin status.
Highlights
This study investigated responses to near-wins (i.e., nonwin outcomes that were close to a major win, and their counterpart, near-losses in a decision-making task, measuring (a) luck ratings, (b) adjustment of bet amount, and (c) facial muscle reactivity at zygomaticus and corrugator sites
We coded the counterfactual statements given by the participants as +1 for an upward counterfactual (e.g., “I could have won a lot of money”), 0 for no counterfactual (“I don’t mind”), −1 for a downward counterfactual (e.g., “I could have lost 10 times the amount I bet”; based upon Wohl & Enzle, 2003)
By using a wheel of fortune task, the present study investigated the effects of near-wins and near-losses on self-perceived luck, betting behavior, and facial muscle reactivity
Summary
This study investigated responses to near-wins (i.e., nonwin outcomes that were close to a major win, and their counterpart, near-losses (nonwin outcomes that are proximal to a major loss) in a decision-making task, measuring (a) luck ratings, (b) adjustment of bet amount, and (c) facial muscle reactivity at zygomaticus and corrugator sites. Compared to full-misses, near-wins decreased self-perceived luck and near-losses increased self-perceived luck, consistent with the effects of upward versus downward counterfactual thinking, respectively. Wins and losses both increased zygomaticus reactivity, and losses selectively enhanced corrugator reactivity. Past work has shown that near-wins increase electrodermal activity (EDA) and heart rate acceleration, in comparison to full-miss outcomes (Clark, Crooks, Clarke, Aitken, & Dunn, 2012; Clark et al, 2013; Dixon et al, 2011). The present study employed facial electromyography (EMG) at these two sites to better decompose the bivalent emotional nature of gambling “near” events
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