Gambling Monkeys

While many religions choose to believe a certain holy book over the indisputable evidence provided by science, researchers continue to provide more examples of ways that we as humans are closely related to monkeys.

The latest study has shown that not only do monkeys have that gut reaction when they identify a decision that could have had a better outcome, but they also use that new knowledge to adjust their new action when faced with the same set of options. Not only that, but the study showed that monkeys would repeatedly choose the riskier option, instead of the safe, sure bet.

Researchers have obviously linked this behavior to that of land and online slots casino gamblers everywhere. Whether it be slots or poker that keeps them coming back, casino fans everywhere come back for more just for the chance that they might be able to win more money, despite the knowledge that the house always wins, or that the odds might be stacked against them.

The way that the researchers came upon this conclusion is that the monkeys were offered two choices, and then once they made the choice, they got the reward behind their choice, and were shown what they could have had, if they had gone with the other option. Perhaps what is most interesting is that the monkeys even chose the riskier option when the safe bet was a substantial reward, in the form of a certain amount of juice.

The new knowledge might be able to give researchers and legislators alike some insight into human online slots addiction or problem gambling.