I am blogging from the most behavior designed city in the world (unofficial, but I am pretty sure) Las Vegas, Nevada.
Everything about Las Vegas has been designed to separate you from your money. The Casinos have applied behavioral psychology to the max and have been rewarded handsomely. Every year, casinos in Las Vegas bring in astronomical profits despite their business model of taking your money. It is a known fact that the odds are in favor of the casinos, so why do we still “knowingly” and willingly give up our money.
There are several principles at play here. I will cover the behavior designs and the psychology behind it and then I will talk about how you can combat these traps.
Psychological Principles:
Variable Rewards: Las Vegas has taken advantage of variable rewards. When people go to Vegas the possibilities are endless. I could go and put all my money on 00 in roulette and leave a Millionaire (more likely, I will leave broke) but the possibility of this reward activates a region of my brain called the Nucleus Accumbens which releases dopamine (a chemical that leads to pleasure) in anticipation of a reward. It does not matter if we are rewarded it only matters that there is a chance. (This principle also applies to the lottery) Winning only makes this worse.
Environmental Triggers: Las Vegas is all about shaping your environment. You can’t go anywhere without walking through a casino. The lights and the sounds are triggering you and drawing you in. The lights are always on so you lose track of time, even the ceilings in some casinos are painted like a blue sky. You also won’t find a clock anywhere. This is all intentional to get you to lose track of your time.
Social Norms: Las Vegas has established the social norm that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. They have made it ok for people to do things they wouldn’t normally do anywhere else. Now I start doing things because everyone else is doing it.
Instant Gratification: Las Vegas plays off of instant gratification and makes everything so easily attainable and sets the norm that it is ok to do that here. That is why you came to Vegas. It is ok just splurge a little bit…
All of these principles can lead to you leaving Vegas exhausted and wondering what the heck you did or how you could have spent all of that money.
How to combat Vegas while still having a good time.
The key is to be aware of what is happening. Just by reading through the first part of this post, you are aware of how Vegas casinos are trying to manipulate you into gambling, drinking, and spending more money than you planned on.
The second step is to set up Ulysses contracts before you go. (Setting limits on how much you will spend, deciding ahead of time what you do and do not want to do and planning your trip accordingly)
The third step is to design and plan your trip before you get to Vegas so you are clear on what you want to do and when. By doing this you avoid the trap of being bored and getting sucked into something you don’t want to do.
When I go to Vegas, I prefer to go to shows, concerts, and nightclubs. It is really easy for me to stay away from gambling. If you are someone who likes to gamble, make a Ulysses contract and come up with a strategy to win or come out even. (These strategies do exist if you look for them. Most people go to Vegas with an amount they are willing to lose and they continue to play until they lose it all (no matter how much they might have gone up before coming back down)
I am off to enjoy some PAC 12 Basketball and have a good time with friends.
I will see you on Monday
Andrew
Twitter @andrewzimbd