Online casinos are on the rise, and we can even say that they have totally replaced their land-based companions in terms of popularity and overall profits. The reason for that is simple, it’s much easier to play your favorite game when it’s just a few clicks away than going to some renowned mortar casino. Of course, this is just one factor, and high bonuses and various other rewards also contribute to the high popularity of casino games, especially slots or pokies, which means that finding the best slot machine might get challenging, but only if you don’t know where to look, as you can easily find the best online pokies at https://www.gamblingmentor.org/online-pokies/.
On the other hand, gambling also affects our mental health, as it affects our behavior, but since most people think that gambling only has bad effects, let’s debunk this myth first.
Playing games of chance really does affect our behavior
Okay, we all know that gambling is fun, but unfortunately, we must agree that playing games of chance too much might lead to some problems. We get so much hype and get overwhelmed with feelings when we win, especially win big, and that’s something that cannot be compared to anything else. On the other hand, the adrenaline rush we experience just because we sat at a poker table and got two cards is yet another factor that affects us. Understandably most of those things are positive ones because these things make us happy, but yes, if we cannot control ourselves, it can lead to behavioral problems.
It’s needless to mention that knowing when to stop, not spending more than you have, and not replacing your personal and social life with gambling one is the most important thing to be aware of, but some other things like mood changes can occur as well. Our brain is an extremely sensitive organ, and even today, we don’t know and understand all the processes that are going on in our brain, and since it is the one responsible for our behavior, it’s understandable that gambling, in general, can have both positive and negative effects on our mental health.
Negative effects of gambling
Many people believe that gambling is bad and can lead to serious troubles, and it is not far from the truth, as it can cause addiction with many additional problems. Regarding that, we will focus on some of the issues it can cause in the text below and describe the negative effects of gambling on mental health.
Anxiety and depression
People who get into the vicious circle of gambling might feel anxious every time they do not play, which leads to compulsive gambling and losing more and more money every time. Unfortunately, losing it all the time and not having enough funds for playing more could increase the anxiety but also cause depression. It is needless to say, these two conditions cause difficulties in the person’s everyday life, and the worse thing is they can even lead to suicide, so getting professional help is a must.
Alienation
Humans are social beings and need other people in their lives for normal functioning, so it is crucial to maintain stable relationships with them. For some people, it is easy, others struggle sometimes, but for addicted gamblers, it can be almost impossible to maintain healthy relationships with people around them. The reason for that is simple, all they think about is their next game and how to find enough money for that, which leads to broken conversations and alienation.
Positive effects
Besides the negative effects that most people are familiar with, gambling can affect our mental health positively. Since many people are not aware of that and refuse to believe it, we will mention some of the positive effects and try to make the people’s opinion about gambling higher.
Having good times
The whole point of gambling is to have a good time, kill boredom, and eventually win some money, and until one feels that way, there is no need to stop and look for another hobby. It can be an escape from everyday routine and help us live happier lives until it is one way of relaxing. The level of so-called happy hormones rises every time we start playing our favorite game, and winning it only adds to a total feeling of joy. Another hormone important for our mood is adrenalin, which level also rises while waiting for the positive outcome once we have placed a bet.
Better brain functionality
There is a popular misconception that it is possible to win some money in gambling only if you have enough luck, but it is only that – a misconception. Of course, having a little luck on your side is always good, but playing casino games is much more, and it is necessary to be good at strategic thinking and making decisions in order to win. Some games are simpler than others and require less planning and thinking, but it is still necessary to learn the rules and make some strategies, which keeps our brains busy and constantly improves their functionality. New and more demanding games set new challenges in front of our brains, and they try to face and master them much faster every time.
Preventing various medical conditions
Even though this might seem surprising to hear or read, that’s only at first because there is scientific proof that gambling has a big role in the prevention of many common conditions. Namely, diabetes and high blood pressure are what trouble modern people the most, and it’s closely connected to stress. Now, while playing games of chance, we can get carried away, but even though we might not feel happy about not winning, all that time we spent gambling brings joy and positive thoughts. That’s because a certain amount of dopamine is released as soon as we place a bet, regardless of the outcome, which is the reason why even when you lose, you still feel pretty good. On further notice, mood disorders are yet another thing where gambling can help because just like it can lead to so-called bad mood swings, it can also help in the prevention of extreme mood behavior due to all the stress. Overall, gambling can be not just something to do to have fun but also something that can be beneficial for our overall well-being.