ATLANTA — There is no question that lottery fever has taken over in Georgia and across the country. Mega Millions jackpot topped $1.28 billion ahead of Friday night’s drawing.
So what gets people excited about the lottery when the chances of winning are roughly 320 million to one?
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Channel 2′s Justin Farmer spoke with Atlanta psychologist Dr. Rosalyn Pitts Clark to get a better understanding.
“You absolutely have people who want participate, who want to play because supposed to odds are in your favor and this time you don’t play,” Pitts Clark said.
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She said the fear of missing out is real, especially in a work or social group setting.
“That herd mentality plays very strongly in your desire to give up your $2 and participate in a group effort to win this lottery,” Pitts Clark said.
Pitts Clark also discussed the psychology of what happens when someone wins and suddenly comes into a large sum of money.
“Research shows that people who come into such great amounts of money actually lose most of that, if not of all of it, within five years,” she explained. “It’s almost like easy come, easy go. There are no parameters around your spending, your giving or your lifestyle.”
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